Requiem
by Emilia Christine
Summary: One act of betrayal tore her family apart. From a scavenger to a resistance fighter, fate will have Naya cross paths with the one man who took it all from her. The man who was only a boy when she last saw him. The same boy she couldn't save. Kylo/OC, non-pairing (explanation inside) [ON-HIATUS]
1. Part I: Prologue

**Warning: Requiem does contain spoilers for The Force Awakens**

 _A/N: Just quickly before you start reading. This is a story that focuses on the **friendship** between my original character and Kylo Ren. It is not my intention to make this a Kylo/OC pairing. While there are plenty of very well written romance stories with kylo and an original character, I wanted to try something a little different. While I was creating this character and this storyline, it didn't feel right to make it a romantic pairing. Instead, I asked myself, what would it be like if these two shared a friendship? A relationship that has been dragged through pain, betrayal, anger and sadness for fifteen years. How would these two react to seeing each other after all that time? It was something that interested me so much and I decided to take this route. _

_As I have stated above, I have nothing against stories that involve kylo/oc pairing, I am a huge fan of them and are reading a few of them. But, for this story, that is currently not the end goal. There are many forms of love, it is not just narrowed down to romance. I personally feel that friendship is a form of love that isn't explored as much as romance is explored in movies, tv shows and writing. And because Kylo Ren is one of my favorite characters, I thought it would be interesting and fascinating to explore that concept with his character and an original character. The reason I put kylo/oc in the description is because their relationship is a very important aspect for my character and it is what this story will focus on. I absolutely love the idea of genuine friendship being a factor that can help bring someone back._

 _However, I will say this. We do have two more movies for me to go off from, so never say never. While I don't have any plans to end up putting these two characters together, anything can happen. As of right now, their relationship throughout this entire story is strictly platonic._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars_

* * *

 **Prologue**

 _Keep going. Keep running._

Naya was using up her adrenaline at a fast rate. She could already feel her legs starting to go numb, which began at the ankles, but she couldn't stop. Her mind was telling her that she had to go farther and she did so. The sharp snaps from twigs that were breaking under her feet created a cacophony of noises around her. She had to get out of her home. Staying there was starting to suffocate her. The air outside was cold, bitterly cold. The wind stabbed at her face and body, numbing her instantaneously. But, she didn't care. Just a little farther and she would be fine. Naya had made it to a clearing when she felt the instant pain in her side. She came to a hard stop, stumbling a few times which brought her to her knees. Her hand pressed against her side, the pain having now turned into a slow throb. She tried taking steady breaths that ultimately turned into wheezing breaths that were echoing around the empty forest.

 _This can't be happening._

She shook her head, eyes scrunched closed, trying to allow the pain in her side to slowly die down. Once it was at a bearable level, Naya crawled over to one of the trees and sat up against it. She continued with her breathing, every exhale puffed out as clouds in front of her face, disappearing into the darkness around her. When she gazed up, she could see the tops of the trees were barely illuminated from the city lights, which was nothing but a mass of light when she looked back at it. She just wanted to be alone, to be surrounded by some form of peace. Her home had become too crowded, with her parents completely breaking down and the General trying her best to console them. She had to get out of there and she went to the only place that offered a form of solitude. The woods. Her mind was swirling and her entire body was aching from a piercing numbness, from both the cold and her own shock. Naya's sense of reality was destroyed only a few moments ago, the walls were crumbling down, piece by piece. There was no way she could put them back together, not after what she had overheard.

The information had been given to her parents by General Organa, who had made the trip out to see them. She wanted to be the one to give them the news, she felt it was only appropriate. Of course, Naya and her parents were more than surprised to see the General here. However, the look of grim sadness was the first thing Naya took notice of when Leia entered the home. And right then, she knew that something was wrong. Naya had never seen the General adorn so many emotions before. Sadness. Distress. Shock. Leia had always been someone that Naya associated with calmness, someone who always had a form of control on everything around her. To see her in that kind of state was alarming. Naya was told to leave the room, that the information needed to be exchanged between her parents and Leia. Of course, being the curious one, Naya simply stood outside of the room. Now, she wished that she hadn't.

 _An attack on the Jedi._ _All the Jedi Luke had been training were killed. Slaughtered._ _Including her brother._

The news made her entire body go cold, eyes widened with shock and disbelief. It couldn't be true; her brother couldn't be _dead._ _This had to be some form of misunderstanding._ _Who would do such a thing?_ Luke would never allow something like that to happen. He would have been able to stop it from happening. That was Naya's own form of naïve expectations. Naya had been in the clear, no one knew that she had been eavesdropping on the conversation. That was until Leia stepped out of the room, taking immediate notice of Naya's presence. She didn't do anything to cover up what she was doing. Naya could only stare up at Leia, both of them standing in silence, trying to figure out what they should say to each other.

When the first words were finally spoken, it was from Naya. The first thing she asked was, who did it? She wanted to know who was responsible for killing her brother and Ben, who she thought had also perished during the event. While she was listening to the conversation, there was no mentioning of Ben. That made Naya believe that he too had perished in the event. Ben was Leia's son, perhaps she didn't find it necessary to tell Naya's parents about him. Therefore, Naya was now in the mindset that she had lost not only her brother, but her friend as well. That conclusion was false and the truth was something Leia had hoped to avoid telling Naya, for now at least. However, Naya begged her for the information. This information would only make the situation worse. But, Leia couldn't look Naya in the eyes and not tell her the truth. The longer she kept this from her, the harder the fallout would be. Leia ultimately relented and told Naya the truth.

 _It was Ben._

The words didn't register at first. Naya thought that it was some kind of cruel trick that was being played on her. Fortunately, she was able to dispel that thought immediately. Naya knew better. Leia would never put her through something like that. Therefore, Leia was telling the truth. Once the full meaning behind Leia's words finally came to pass, Naya's instant reaction was denial. Leia had predicted that would be her first reaction and she couldn't see any fault to it. Leia herself had to deal with her own denial that any of this ever happened.

 _Ben would never do something like that. He never would._

That was the only defense Naya was able to conjure up in that moment. But, in the back recesses of Naya's mind, past all her denial and shock, she knew it was the truth. However, being able to accept all of it was too difficult for her to do. Leia had tried talking to Naya, using gentle words, to try and calm her. But, standing there in front of her, Ben's mother, coinciding with what she was just told, it was too much. Naya couldn't bear to stay there. She couldn't look at Leia, or hear her voice. It was already messing with her clouded mind. In response, she ran. Naya pushed right passed the General and was out the door before Leia could even stop her.

The minute she was out the door, only one thing came to Naya's mind. She needed to go to the woods. It was where she could go for solitude and that was something Naya desperately needed. Her hope was that being out here would help her to make sense of what had just happened, but it didn't. It had only been minutes since she arrived at the clearing and it hadn't made any of this easier. The cold air stung her throat and lungs as she inhaled heavy breaths, trying to supply her body with the oxygen she had lost during her run. Naya hugged her knees tightly to her chest and leaned her head against the tree.

 _How did it come to this?_

Five years. The last time Naya ever saw Ben was five years ago, before he was sent away to train with Luke. As she sat in the cold, Naya recalled Ben's hesitation. Several times he had admitted to her that he didn't want to leave. For a reason that he never truly disclosed with her and she never pushed him about it. Did she want him to leave? A part of her didn't at the time, it was strange not having him around. Even now, five years after he left, Naya still caught herself in moments where she forgot that Ben wasn't here. It was something she never truly adjusted to. In response to his hesitation, Naya could only offer some kind of comfort and enthusiasm. Telling Ben that it would be good for him, to go and train to be a Jedi, something that Naya had always been fascinated with after hearing countless stories growing up. Ben was less than enthusiastic, however, it was what his mother wanted for him, how could he get out of it? Still, Naya couldn't fathom the correlation between that moment and now. Ben left, to start his training under Luke, to become a Jedi. Now, he has wiped them all out, including her brother.

Naya allowed her eyes to close, feeling her tears press against her eye lids. "What happened, Ben?" she whispered. Just saying his name at this point only brought two things for Naya, sadness and confusion. There was no anger, at least she couldn't feel it, which made her feel even more confused. She should be angry at Ben, completely furious at what he did. And while that feeling might just be boiling deep inside of her, as of right now, it was almost nonexistent. She just wanted to know, why did he do it?

Five years was not a long time, yet, something happened. Something that completely changed Ben to the point that he would betray his family and his fellow peers. And Naya couldn't help but feel that Leia may know more than what she has said. Although, Naya could be completely wrong. Naya couldn't help but feel unfair while thinking this. Leia was already going through her own hell. Knowing that her son was even capable of doing something like this must have been disheartening. The more Naya thought about it, she couldn't get past her own confusion. Granted, she was still in shock by it all, but she knew Ben, or at least she thought she knew him. Ben had to have some kind of motive behind it, which made all of this even more disturbing for Naya. The very thought of him becoming a cold killer, completely unfazed by what his actions would do, it tore her up inside.

The reasoning behind this event soon became unimportant to Naya. Her brother was dead. Ben was gone, she didn't know where and for all she knew, her family was broken. There was an instant ache in Naya's throat that brought forth new tears that spilled down her cheeks. She covered her mouth, silently choking on the cries she was trying to hold back. Being out here in the woods wasn't helping her in the slightest. This wasn't just her place; it was also Ben's. It was here that they frequented together, where most of her memories of him originate from. The very foundation of their friendship started here, a chance encounter was what Naya always called it. The boy with dark hair and fair complexion. And his eyes, they nearly matched his hair in color. Yet, Naya always remembered how they stood out, there was so much light in them.

Now, the image of the young boy she befriended was tainted. Ben Solo, he was no longer there. The Ben she knew would never commit this kind of heinous act. That was when Naya first felt it. That anger. It was starting to spill over the brim. She quickly wiped at the tear stains on her cheeks and bit down on her lip, hard enough to the point she could start to taste a little blood. Her arms hugged her knees closer to her body, trying to conserve the warmth her body was creating, and wiped the remaining tears from her eye. She hated that this ever happened. And, she hated Ben for going through with it. How could he betray his family? How could he betray _her_?

This initial hatred would only be temporary because below that, Naya knew there was more to this. There was more she wasn't being told and it would only be a matter of time before she knew the entirety of what happened. And she honestly didn't know if she would ever be prepared to hear it.

* * *

 **This is my first ever Star Wars fic so please bear with me as I familiarize myself with writing in this universe. You can also find me on tumblr, requiemnaya if you want to check it out!**


	2. Part I: I

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

* * *

 **2 months later**

Naya wiped away the sweat from her brow and frowned. The heat was thick and humid, inflaming her lungs every time she inhaled. The sun was blaring down on the terrain around her, increasing the temperature. It was hell. She hated this place. Naya and her mother had been dropped off at the Niima Outpost. Their hike had taken them away from the outpost, Naya couldn't even see any form of civilization from where they are. It felt like they were out in the middle of nowhere with the damn sun blaring down on them. She hasn't even been on this planet for that long and she already wanted to leave. She wanted to go back home.

"Come on."

Naya turned her attention to her mother, who was a little ahead from her. "Zara's tent is just over that hill. Let's go."

Naya blew out a frustrated sigh, adjusted the straps on her shoulders and began trudging behind her mom. Every step, her feet would sink into the hot sand, making it rather difficult for her to keep up with her mother. Naya had to make do with what she was given. "Why did we have to come here?" Naya finally asked.

"We came here because staying at home wasn't an option for us anymore."

Mila's answer made Naya glare at the woman in front of her. That kind of excuse only enraged Naya's mid-level frustration. "Staying at home has never not been an option for us," she quickly argued her point. "There must be a whole other reason as to why we had to come here. Almost like-"

Naya stumbled in her steps, almost falling down to her knees, but she was able to catch herself. "Almost like you're keeping something from me." She finally managed to finish once she gained her footing.

At this, Mila stopped and looked up at the sky, her shoulders were slouched in exhaustion. Wiping the sweat away from her face, she turned to her young daughter. "Why would you think I'm keeping something from you?"

"Because we wouldn't just leave home like that. Specially to live on this place." Naya made sure to verbally express her distaste for the desert terrain. Mila didn't say anything, she only waited until Naya was standing right next to her.

Naya heavily exhaled and a tired groan ensued shortly after. "And why couldn't papa come with us?"

Mila wiped at her brow again and looked down at the sand, trying to think about how she was supposed to explain this to her. "Your father had to stay with the Resistance. He's needed there."

"No." Naya quickly disagreed. "He needs to be with us. We need to be together."

"I know." Mila agreed, the sadness immediately etched on her face. Mila wanted that more than anything. To be together again. The _whole_ family. That was a wanting not worth holding onto anymore. "But, this is how it's supposed to be, for now."

"I don't like it."

"I know." Mila repeated. "We need to get to Zara's. Come on."

Naya sighed and followed her mother up the hill, which was an obstacle for her. It was steep and Naya's little legs could barely make the walk without making her stumble a few times. Once they made it over, Naya could see a tent, not that far from them and she exhaled in relief. Finally, they would be able to get out of the sun.

"Not that far now." Mila commented, hoping that it would motivate Naya to keep on going. She had no other choice but to continue on.

When they finally made it to the hut, Naya could see a fairly short statured woman, with dark hair and tanned skin, standing outside the entrance. Naya had no idea who this woman was, but by the look on her mother's face, she was a familiar figure. That didn't come as a surprise to her. Naya knew that her mother was born and raised here. Jakku was never a place that Mila talked about much. There was no need to discuss the matter. All Naya knew was that her mother left Jakku and somehow met her father along the way.

"Zara." Mila's tone was dripping with relief.

Naya was able to take a quick notice that the woman was a little older than she had anticipated. That, or, spending years out in the sun has aged her skin, making her look older than what she was.

Zara greeted both of them with a hearty smile, giving Naya the sense that they were being welcomed without much hesitation. Upon seeing the condition that they both were in, Zara's smile faltered. "Where are you two walking from?" she asked, her brows creased with questioning.

"We got dropped off at the Niima outpost."

"That far out?" Zara's eyes widened as she assessed both of them and then quickly nodded. "Well, come into the hut." She motioned at them, wanting to get them into the hut as quickly as she could.

Mayra gently ushered Naya in, both of them feeling the immediate relief of finally getting out of the sun. Zara had grabbed two canteens of water and quickly handed one to Naya, who hesitantly took it out of the women's hand.

Naya went to take a drink, when she took notice of a young girl who was sitting at a work table, scrubbing away at mechanical parts.

"Is that her?"

Naya heard her mother quietly ask the question and she turned her attention to the two women who were standing close to each other. Naya saw Zara nod her head in confirmation at Mila's question. This made her incredibly curious. Who was this girl?

"What is she doing here?" Naya couldn't help herself. She wanted to be a part of the conversation.

"Poor girl was left here by her family. No explanation." Zara shook her head, sighing sadly. "Plutt essentially placed her in my care, I couldn't really argue with him. So, she is going to be staying here."

All of what Naya had heard made her feel a little off. Just the fact that her family dropped her off here was enough to make Naya feel a little upset. "Why would her family just leave her here?"

"Hey, Naya." Mila quickly ended her daughter's questioning. "Why don't you go and take a seat? Drink your water and just rest. Okay?"

Naya didn't try to hide her disappointment. She knew that her mother and Zara were going to have a conversation and she wasn't supposed to hear it. And there was no way she was going to get any answers from either of them. Without putting up a fight, Naya walked over to the table and sat down, directly across from the girl, who was still cleaning the parts.

As Naya uncapped the canteen and took a few drinks, she couldn't help but take a quick glance at the girl. She hadn't ceased her cleaning and it didn't seem like she was going to acknowledge Naya sitting across from her. Naya continued to stare at the girl across from her. She looked to be about five or six, maybe younger. With hair pulled back into a messy style and her face was already sporting dirt that was sticking to her forehead and cheeks. And Naya took notice of fairly fresh tear stains that had made trails down her cheeks. This young girl looked lost and Naya could only feel sympathy towards her. This poor girl was just dropped off by her family. No explanation. Just left here, of all places.

Naya tried to make sense as to why that would happen. What would prompt her family to _leave_ her somewhere? Despite wanting to simmer in her own privacy, Naya knew that she was carving out a new goal for herself. To gain this young girl's trust.

Naya remained quiet, taking quick sips from the bottle. Also ensuring to keep up the careful glances at the young girl, who didn't show signs of stopping her work. At one moment, she paused and picked up a water canteen next to her, only to shake it, realizing that it was empty.

Naya pursed her lips together and without hesitating, extended her arm out, offering her water to the young girl. She stopped and hesitantly looked up at Naya, both of them meeting each other's eyes in a gentle stare down. The girl looked almost afraid to take it from her, thinking that Naya was making a mistake by offering it to her. Only then did Naya offer a faint, encouraging smile, which allowed the girl to accept the gesture.

Naya pulled her arm back when the exchanged happened and this time, both girls continued to look at each other. Normally, Naya would have felt some form of discomfort from someone staring at her. In this case, it didn't bother her. Aside from her eyes being red, Naya felt a surge within in, she wanted to talk with her, try and get to know her.

"What's your name?" Naya finally asked, her voice was quiet. One might have thought that she was trying to make sure that Zara and her mother didn't hear.

Instead of answering, the young girl took a few drinks from the canteen and offered it back to Naya, who simply shook her head. _You keep it,_ were the unspoken words. The young girl placed the bottle down on the table and went back to work.

"You can tell me your name." Naya gently pressed the matter. "From what I have been able to gather, we might be seeing each other a lot."

No response. Just the sound of the cleaning brush against the mechanical part.

"My name is Naya." She decided to offer her name up first, thinking that it would be an invitation for the girl to speak. But, it never happened.

Naya sighed quietly and scanned over the table, seeing that there were more objects that needed to be cleaned. There wasn't much of a conversation that was being held and Naya didn't know what else to do. She grabbed one of the objects, along with a cleaning brush and began to clean the oil and grim away from the object. Naya had become engrossed by the task, she initially didn't know that the young girl had stopped and was staring at her.

When she finally looked up, Naya could see a mixture of confusion and surprise written on the girl's face. Naya looked down at the part and then shrugged.

"This isn't a problem for me." She commented, coolly. "I actually think I'm going to be doing this for a while. Might as well get a start on it." She said, continuing with the cleaning. "Besides, you shouldn't have to do this all on your own."

Those words seemed to settle down the confusion that had sprouted up. Even though it wasn't said, Naya could read the small hint of gratitude that crossed the young girl's face. They both descended into a comfortable silence, that is until Naya decided to try and carry on another conversation.

"Where are you from?" She didn't look up, the silence that followed her question was her answer, but that didn't stop her. "My mother and I just arrived here, on this…piece of desert." Naya's tone hinted at the still present distaste for having to come here. "I still don't know why we had to come here."

She merely glanced up at the girl, seeing that she was still preoccupied with her cleaning. "Do you know why you are here?"

The question struck a nerve. Naya saw the girl's face tense and her eyes narrow, like she was trying to stop tears from falling. Immediately, she regretted asking the question.

Naya silently berated herself. "Sorry. Forget that I even asked that."

"Naya."

Naya stopped her task and looked up at her mother, who was peering down at her, curiously. "What are you doing?"

Naya shrugged. "I was just helping…" Naya paused, remembering that she had not received the name of the girl sitting across from her. "I was just helping her clean these."

Mila scanned over the object in Naya's hand and then shifted her gaze over at the other girl. "Hello." Mila tried her hand at getting the young girl to talk. Of course, nothing. Not even a glance.

Mila didn't take it to heart. This young girl was confused and scared. It made sense that she wouldn't have the trust to talk with her. Looking down at her daughter, she offered a faint smile.

"We will be staying with Zara tonight. Then tomorrow we will be moving into our hut."

"Where is it?" Naya asked, although she didn't sound too enthusiastic about the idea of having to live in a hut in the desert.

"Just a couple of feet away from here." Mila gently brushed at her daughter's hair. "Zara said that the former occupants left. Therefore, it is ours for the taking."

The news didn't make Naya feel any better. In fact, it made her feel more agitated. They were moving into a hut, which meant they were staying here. For a good amount of time.

Naya placed the contents in her hands back on the table. "How long are we going to be staying here?"

If anything, that was a question Mila didn't have the energy to discuss with her. She was tired, not just from their hike, it was from everything. Only two months since she learned of her son's death and now they had to drop almost everything to relocate here.

"Naya." Mila exhaled, her hand rested against her forehead. "Sweetheart, I don't know how long we will be here. All I know is that it will be for a while."

"Is papa going to come and see us?" Naya had been silently debating whether she was going to push the subject of her father any more. She felt that she had every right to question her mother about it. Naya wanted to be with _both_ of her parents.

Mila knelt down in front of Naya and took hold of her hands. "Not for a while."

Naya stared at her mother with a dead panned look.

"Your father, went to stay at the Resistance base because he was needed there. The General needed him at her side."

Naya slowly shook her head. "No disrespect to the General, but, she doesn't need papa with her. _We_ need him. We are supposed to be together. Why can't we be together?"

Mila lovingly caressed her daughter's cheek. "I know. I want the same thing. I wish that we could go back to how things were. But, we can't."

"Because of Jaiden."

That name had been a sore subject for the past two months. Bringing it up now certainly didn't do either of them any good. Mila couldn't answer that with anything. Hearing her son's name only brought that painful realization to the forefront. Now, she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it.

"Yes." Mila quietly confirmed. "It's because of what happened."

"You and papa didn't even try to keep us together."

That comment struck something within Mila. She and Calum had tried, desperately tried to deal with what had happened. Tried to help each other cope with the loss of their son. However, dealing each other's pain and grief was overbearing for them. They had to deal with it in their own way, on their own terms. Calum left. He went to stay at the Resistance base. There he would be able to work, almost non-stop if he wanted to. That is how he was going to cope with this. And Mila, she didn't know what else to do. When Mila told Naya that staying at home was no longer an option, she was telling the truth. Walking in the same house where her husband and son used to live as well, it was painful. Mila wanted to get out and she had to take Naya with her.

Mila gave Naya's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Naya. Sweetheart, we did. We tried our very best."

"No. You didn't." Naya was going to be persistent with this. "Because if you two had actually tried, we wouldn't be here."

Mila silently shook her head, denying Naya's accusations.

"If you two had actually tried, you and papa would still be together and we would be together. Like it should be."

"Naya." Mila's hardened voice silenced Naya from venturing any further. Mother and daughter stared at each other. Naya being a little taken back from the sudden harshness in her mother's tone. The outburst should have been expected. Naya was striking every nerve, hitting them with full force. She didn't want to hear it. "Naya, that is enough. No more. Do you understand me?"

Naya had been rendered speechless. The tears that were brimming her mother's eyes was enough to hint to her how much she was suffering. Not that Naya was completely clueless to that matter. Her mother was always good at hiding it. Except now. Her voice was raw with newly dug up pain and a sense of hopelessness was etched into her features. Hopelessness that she would never be able to escape this mental hell of being a parent who lost a child. Naya had never seen her mother in this kind of state, never seen her this broken. It was scary. Seeing your parent slowly crumbling before you and as a kid, there is nothing she could do.

"Yes, mother." Naya quietly voiced her understanding.

Relief and regret soon flooded her mother's face. Relief that Naya knew her place and regret for how she raised her voice. She quickly ran a hand through Naya's hair and kissed her forehead before stepping away. It wasn't exactly the kind of note Mila wanted to end on, she just couldn't find anything to say to her daughter. In a sense, Mila felt that there was some truth to her daughter's accusations and she couldn't find a way to truly defend herself against them.

Naya sat in a few moments of silence before immediately going back to cleaning, feeling the urge to do something. Anything that would help her to vent out her own anger in a subtle way. Unbeknownst to her, the young girl sitting across from her saw everything and was now staring at Naya. Now, completely curious as to who she was. Where did she come from? Why exactly is she here? She knew that it had something to do with her family. As for what the actual cause was, that wasn't established in the conversation between Naya and her mother.

Naya had been cleaning vigorously, not even realizing that she was being watched, until an uneasy feeling came over her. She paused and slowly looked up, meeting eyes with the young girl. There was no scrutinizing or judgement written on her face. Her expression was soft and Naya swore to herself that she could see a small hint of what looked like sympathy and also curiosity. It didn't take Naya long to realize that she must have listened to the entire conversation. She couldn't really blame the girl. Naya and her mother weren't exactly trying to keep their voices down.

But, Naya could feel herself growing uncomfortable. Not from the staring, but from the fact that she had to see and hear any of that in the first place.

"Sorry—about that." It was hasty. Naya didn't seem to put much into that apology. She just wanted to get the words out, before her discomfort could grow into outright embarrassment. "I guess we have to start having our conversations in a more private matter." There was a very quiet laugh that followed her sentence, which was her trying to make light of this situation. However, it fell flat, making Naya feel more insecure.

Instead of trying to carry on with it, Naya only picked up her cleaning where she left off and soon the young girl did the same.

* * *

The sun was just starting to dip behind the sand dunes. The sky was alive with a prominent sunset, one that Naya had seen often back on her home planet. She missed her home. She missed seeing all the green and the trees. The familiar faces and buildings. She missed the small creek that she and Ben would always frequent.

And just like that, her mood suddenly dipped. The small ounce of peace she had been feeling while looking at the sunset was now gone. Replaced by confusion and sadness, emotions that she had learned to bury these past two months. Never really allowing herself to live in it, never truly moving on and accepting what had happened. How could she? Jaiden, her brother, was gone and the person responsible for that was Ben. Her friend who was now a murderer. This is the same boy she went walking through the forest with, the same boy who she exchanged silly jokes with, the same boy who taught her how to skip rocks and in return, she taught him how to climb trees properly.

How could this be the same person?

It was a concept Naya could not wrap her mind around, no matter how hard she tried. It didn't make sense. Ben had always been kind, granted when she first met him he was a little bitter towards her. That was expected from someone who tried to keep to themselves most of the time. And, like anyone who isolates themselves, once someone has cracked through they are in for good. There is no way to just leave. Naya saw Ben for who he truly was: kind, mindful and soft spoken. A young boy who had too many expectations placed on his shoulders, something that Naya was able to spot at various times. However, that was something he never fully discussed with her. It was a fact that came with being Leia Organa and Han Solo's child and Ben preferred dealing with it on his own. He would briefly touch on the subject, only enough for Naya to understand where Ben was coming from. And she did understand him, that was one of the few things Ben admitted to Naya as being something he was grateful for.

Naya felt the gentle tug of a smile on her lips once she recalled the memory. When everything was simple and good. Not complicated and dark, like they were now. Naya began to mindlessly trace a picture in the sand, thinking about the forest and started to remember her last day on her home planet. She was standing at the creek, skipping rocks, trying to savor every minute she had. Thinking about Ben and how it was their favorite spot. Also hoping that she would be able to leave 'Ben' there and not take him with her. Of course, she failed at that. The time she spent there didn't feel long enough. Before she knew it, Naya and her mother were stepping off a ship and were greeted by nothing but sand and sticky humidity. The change happened too fast for Naya. She can't remember what happened back at home the last two months she and her family were together. The only memory she had of her home was that last day of being in the forest. Everything else is nothing more than a blur on her memory. Anything good that happened there is overshadowed by her brother's death. She can't get away from it.

When the picture was finally done, Naya rested her hand in her lap and stared down at the tracing. Several trees encircled around one large rock, which she and Ben would always sit on and the small creek that was in front of it. This tracing didn't do the actual location any justice, but it made Naya feel more at ease. It was easy for her to replace this sand tracing with the actual image.

Out of the corner of her eye, Naya saw two small feet appear next to her and when she looked up, there was the young girl holding onto a plate. After a brief moment of looking at each other, the young girl finally handed Naya the plate, which she took in a slow manner. Once the exchanged happened, the young girl turned around and sat down in front of the tent, a few inches away from Naya and began to eat the food from her plate.

Naya stretched out her legs, placing the plate down in her lap, but couldn't find her appetite. She simply played at the food for a few minutes before glancing back up at the sunset. "Have you ever just taken a moment to watch a full sunset?"

Tearing off a piece of bread, Naya couldn't help but smile. "I did it a lot back on my home planet. Not every day, even though I tried my best." She placed the piece of bread in her mouth and chewed vigorously.

"I would always stand out in front of my home, which was where the best view of it was." Naya continued, not really paying any attention as to whether the girl was listening or not. "And I would watch as all the different colors fade into view. The different layers always blended within each other. And the temperature would slowly begin to drop. I've always preferred it when it was colder. The buildings and trees, everything, would slowly turn into nothing but silhouettes. Watching sunsets always made me feel at ease."

Naya finally swallowed the contents in her mouth and let out a long sigh. "I think feeling at ease will soon turn into a luxury for me. It never lasts long anymore." She finished and stared down at her food.

There was only silence that followed which prompted Naya to turn her head to side. The young girl was looking at Naya with an enamored look on her face. There was a small glint in her eyes, something that caught Naya a little off guard. Earlier, the young girl's eyes were slightly red and tired. Now, there seemed to be a small ounce of hope and wonder in them. At this, Naya offered a genuine smile.

The young girl then moved her focus on the tracing next to Naya, silently inquiring about it. Naya's smile grew when she looked down at it. "It's a forest that I went to a lot." She began to retrace the outline of the trees as she continued. "There were more than five trees, there were acres of them. They were so tall; anyone would be completely dwarfed by them." Naya used her hands to try and showcase the size of these trees.

Naya then began working on the creek. "And this is a small creek that I always would end up at. This was where I went to get away from everything." She finished with the tracing, "Do you have a place like that?" she asked, looking up at the girl.

The girl took a moment longer to appreciate the sand tracing and silently took in Naya's words. Finding that she was actually trying to picture what this place looked like. In response to Naya's question, she pressed her lips into a thin line and went back to eating. But, not before Naya could catch that wonder in her eyes one last time.

After that, Naya actually felt good, like she accomplished a small win. Before, Naya couldn't really gain any kind of emotion from her other than small hints of sympathy or curiosity. Now, she has been offered a small glimpse into who this girl was. Naya had a gut feeling that she was heading in the right direction when it came to this new goal she had made for herself upon arriving at Zara's hut. That she will eventually gain her trust.

"Well, whenever you feel like telling me, I'll be more than happy to listen."

* * *

 **Hope you guys liked the chapter! If you want to check out Naya's tumblr, it's on my profile!**


	3. Part I: II

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars_

* * *

 _The sky was clear. A change in scenery, since it had been raining the last couple of days. Naya threw her last rock, smiling in satisfaction when she saw it skim the surface of the water. "Well, at least the rain finally stopped."_

 _Naya and Ben were at their usual spot, the creek. Along with Chewbacca, who was idly walking along the bedrock shore, a few feet from them. On occasion, when Chewbacca and Han were here and not off doing some kind of job, the Wookie would often accompany Naya and Ben on their forest trips. Just to make sure that they wouldn't get themselves into trouble. One might think having some kind of guardian would be a nuisance, but Naya liked having Chewbacca with them._

" _I consider it lucky that we got to come back here before you leave." Naya had turned to watch Chewbacca, but when she didn't receive a response, her attention focused on Ben. He was perched up on a large rock, the one they always shared when they came out here. And a look of dismay was written on his face. Mentioning his upcoming departure wasn't a good choice on Naya's end._

" _Sorry," the apology was genuine on her part. Naya went and sat down next to Ben, allowing her legs to stretch out in front of her. "I'm guessing you are still not happy about this."_

" _I don't want to leave." They were simple words that held so much to them. Naya could hear it in his voice. He really didn't want this. The full reasoning behind it was never something he shared with her._

" _Why not?"_

 _Ben merely shrugged. "I like all of this. I like being able to come out here, with you. If I leave, I won't be able to do any of it."_

" _But, isn't it a good thing? You leaving?" Naya raised a brow at Ben. "I mean you are going to train to become a Jedi. That has to be worth it."_

 _Ben picked at his pant fabric, his lips carved into a small pout. "That is what everyone seems to think. That this would be for my own good."_

" _Well, isn't it always a saying that our parents know what's best for us?"_

 _Ben didn't answer right away. He simmered in his thoughts, debating on what would be the right thing to say next. "Do you want me to go?" This time he actually looked at her. He wanted to see the sincerity in her answer._

 _Naya was visibly surprised by his question. She blinked, thinking on her answer. "No," she answered truthfully. "I don't want you to go. But, what can we do about it? We could protest the idea all we want…it's going to happen."_

 _At that, Ben focused his attention on the stream and bit down on his lip._

" _I mean, your mother and father,"_

" _They want me to go," he finished for her. "They think that it would be good for me. Of course, their views on what is good for me is all that matters."_

" _They only want what is best for you, Ben." Naya silently challenged herself to say what came up in her mind. "I think they are right."_

 _It took a moment for Ben to piece together what Naya had said. When he did, his head turned sharply to look at her._

" _You have a special gift Ben," Naya continued. "And I know everyone expects something from you. Maybe this is a way for you to get away from that. You learn about the force and become a Jedi. All the while, you won't have to deal with everyone staring down at you."_

 _Ben silently scoffed at Naya's answer, "I feel like no matter what I do or where I go, I'm always going to have everyone looking at me."_

 _Naya didn't answer. She knew that there was some truth to that statement. She just didn't want to verbally acknowledge it. "This will be good for you, Ben." Naya's face lit up at a sudden thought. "And, you will be training with my brother."_

 _That managed to lighten his mood. Ben smiled faintly at the mentioning of Jaiden._

" _I haven't seen in a really long time. Maybe you can tell him I said 'hi'."_

 _Ben nodded, his smile growing. "I'll be sure to do that."_

" _And you will be fine." Naya added. "Everything will be fine, Ben. Your uncle will be watching out for you. And you will be able to get through your training with ease."_

 _Ben acknowledged Naya's statement with a nod and then tilted his head. "Have you ever thought about how long it will be until we see each other?"_

 _Naya finally went silent, the enthusiasm she had been using to one up Ben's mood was now gone. That very thought wasn't one she had lingered on for too long. Ben was going to be gone, for quite some time. And she didn't know when she would ever see him again._

" _No. I didn't think about that." Naya faced forward and pulled her knees close to her chest._

" _That is why I don't want to leave, Naya." Ben looked around at their surroundings. "This. All of this is important to me. I don't want to lose any of it."_

 _This particular thought was one the two of them never touched on. They simply didn't want to. It was something that lingered at the back of their minds, waiting for the moment when the subject would become relevant. Once that happened, there was no way they would be able to ignore it. But, Naya decided that she wasn't going to let that thought plague them. Naya furrowed her brows and turned to Ben. "No. We don't have to worry about it because there is no way that you're going to lose this. This," Naya gestured between both of them. "It will always be there. It doesn't matter how long we go without seeing each other. We will always be able to pick up where we left off."_

 _Ben still remained less than optimistic. Anything can happen during that period of time. Anything can change. It was a fact that was completely out of their control. However, Ben was able to notice Naya's willingness to find any hope within this situation. Him dismissing this attempt would only make his inevitable departure even more difficult. Instead, he chose to go along with it because somewhere, deep down, he had the same hope that Naya possessed. "Promise?" He finally asked._

 _Naya smiled, there was no forced emotion to it. There was only genuine sincerity. "I promise."_

….

Naya stared at the ground. Her expression was blank, but her eyes were brimming with moisture. She had been only sitting on her cot, allowing her memories to have full run of her mind. Instead of not acknowledging its presence, Naya decided to face it head on. She allowed herself to live in that memory. Simply ignoring it would only make it come back, with a greater force than before.

At first, it was only bits of the memory that she would think about. The entirety of it didn't come together until now. Most of Naya's memories of him have been fairly absent. This was the first good memory she had of him in the past two months. Everything pertaining to him had been so grim and dark, completely void of anything good. Now, Naya had been allowed to enjoy just a small amount of bliss at being able to have a normal recollection.

The hut shifted slightly, from the breeze that was blowing outside. Naya looked up and saw the thick fabric moving. It was still undeniably humid. The wind was able to take away some of the heat. But, Naya still preferred the weather she had back on her home planet.

It was mid-day and Naya had been alone since she woke up. Her mother was nowhere to be found and after consulting with Zara, who had come over to check on her, did she learn that her mother went to the outpost. Most likely to retrieve more supplies. Mila had been given a bundle of spare mechanical parts that Zara had lying around. However, her mother had been gone longer than she should have. The outpost was not that far from them and it wouldn't take Mila that long to trade the stuff that she needed to.

Despite this, Naya tried to convince herself not to get too worried. Her mother had constantly assured Naya that she could take care of herself. Knowing that her mother had lived her for a while, it gave Naya some form of peace that the statement was true. After Zara left, Naya decided that it was time to change into her new outfit. The one she had been wearing for the past couple of days wouldn't do anymore. This was the desert. The clothes that she had to change into were lighter. It had a baggy fit to them, allowing air to flow through. It was a strange feeling, wearing these clothes. Not to mention the color. It was a very neutral beige color, a lighter color than she was used to wearing. Despite the awkward looseness that went with them, Naya noticed that she felt much more comfortable wearing it in this heat.

 _That was the whole point of changing outfits._ Naya thought as she pulled at her pants, watching the fabric slowly sink back into place.

Zara, before leaving, had given Naya an open invitation, to come over to her hut. That way she wouldn't be staying alone. Naya thanked Zara, ultimately choosing to just stay in her own hut. She wanted to be alone, just for a while. Constant interaction was all Naya got the past few days. Zara and the young girl had helped Naya and her mother with settling in their hut. She found the idea of having time for her own privacy to be appealing.

The sound of a speeder gradually grew louder until it was nearly right outside the hut. Standing up, Naya walked to the opening and saw her mother climbing off the speeder. Mila turned towards her hut and motioned for Naya. The twelve-year-old left the hut and walked over to the speeder, noticing that there were several bags nestling in a net on the side of the transporter.

"Naya. Here," Mila pulled out a small sack and handed it to her daughter. "We have enough to last us for a couple of days."

Naya slung the strap on her shoulder, taking notice of the grime that was covering her mother's face and outfit. "Where have you been?"

Mila secured the remaining sacks in her hands and began walking back to the hut, with Naya following closely behind. "I was in the ship graveyard."

 _That's why she was taking so long._ Naya remained quiet until she and her mother were inside of their hut, "Why were you at a ship graveyard?"

Mila set down the bags and motioned for Naya to hand over the one she was carrying. "It's what we have to do from now on," she placed the bag down on the table. "Scavenging."

Naya stared at her mother, curiously. "Scavenging? In a ship graveyard."

Mila nodded and removed her scarf wrap and her hood. "There was a battle here, between the Empire and the Rebellion. A lot of imperial ships crashed in the outskirts. There are still a lot of valuable parts that can be traded for supplies. I was there, thought that I was gather a few more to prepare for trading."

"So, we have to scavenge for parts," Naya slightly winced at the idea.

"In order to survive out here, yes."

Naya fumbled with her pants and kicked at the loose sand on the ground. "I have to do the same, won't I? Scavenge for parts."

Mila grabbed a canteen and eased herself down onto her cot. "Yes, you will have to. I'll take you out to the graveyard soon. Show you how to properly navigate through the ships." Mila uncapped the canteen, "I'll take the girl with us as well."

Naya shuffled her feet and looked down. "Isn't she a little too young to be doing that? It can't be completely safe rummaging through the wreckages."

"No, it's not." Mila took a big swig from the canteen, water that had trailed down her chin was quickly wiped away. "But, she's going to have to learn sooner or later."

"But, she won't be here for long," Naya sat down next to her mother. "Her family is going to come back. Won't they?"

After taking several drinks, Mila panted heavy breaths, trying to allow her body to cool down. "Naya, sweetheart, I don't know if her family will ever come back," Mila replied, grimly. "From how I see it, she will be here for a while. In the meantime, she needs to learn how to survive out here."

"It sounds like it's going to be a really harsh experience."

"Naya, I'm not going to ease over it. But, being here, it will be difficult to adjust. The people, not all of them are like Zara. Out here, the mentality is to fend for yourself. You need to remember that. You need to learn how to defend yourself and use your intelligence. A lot of them can be outwitted."

Naya's body sulked. "I don't think I'll be that successful at it."

"That's why I'll teach you," Mila assured her young daughter. "I know this place like the palm of my hand. Even though it's been a while since I've been here. I know how to survive out here and soon, you'll know everything."

Mila mentioning the skills she obtained from living her made Naya curious. "Why didn't you ever tell us about how you grew up?"

Mila sucked in a short breath and capped her canteen, "It was just something that never really came into questioning," Mila stood back up and walked over to the bags that were strewn across the small table, "And, it is not exactly full of fond memories. Especially ones that I would want to relive."

"Sorry for asking." Naya didn't dare to try and ask any more about it.

Mila turn her head to Naya, seeing her daughter's eyes peer up at her triggered something. The shape of Naya's eyes, her small nose and dark brows, all traits that Naya shared with Jaiden. The two of them had always shared a striking similarity in their features. And, that was all Mila could see as she stared at Naya. Her son. She raised her hand and gently pressed it against Naya's cheek, gently stroking her thumb against the skin.

Naya could see the moisture brewing in her mother's eyes. The small smile that tugged the corner of her lips held nothing but pain. It caught her off guard. But, Mila was able to catch herself. She retracted her hand away and cleared her throat.

"I need to start cleaning these, so that I can trade them within the next day or so," Mila took a seat at the table, making sure to avoid her daughter's eye contact.

Naya, who was still slightly perplexed by the moment that had just happened, stepped closer to her mother, "Do you want me to help you?"

"No, it's fine.," Mila was quick to dismiss Naya's offer. "I'll just take care of this myself. Why don't you go over to Zara's?" Mila grabbed one of the bags and began to pull out what she had scavenged, "I'm sure she has a few things to give to you before I take you out to the ship graveyard."

"Okay."

It was so easy for Naya to notice. Her mother had grown a certain level of solitude ever since they arrived. Most of the time, while they both were in their hut, Mila would keep to herself. Hardly engaging in conversation with her daughter, who never really tried to pick at the situation. Mila was trying to keep what was left of her sanity from falling apart. She would achieve this by going to the ship graveyard, even when she didn't need to. It was enough to keep her occupied. The conclusion that Naya drew from that was that her mother was finding it difficult to be around her. It was all because of one thing. Her brother, Jaiden.

Everyone always compared how they both looked similar. Of course, Naya and Jaiden never really recognized it when they looked at each other. However, the truth of always prominent with the way their parents looked at them. Naya could only assume this is what is happening to her mother. She looks at Naya and all she sees is her son. That doesn't exactly help her in this kind of situation. Naya couldn't stop herself from feeling hurt. Her own mother couldn't even look at her, without it causing her more pain. In a sense, Naya felt like she was some kind of emotional burden for her mother. The best thing she could do was give Mila the space she needed. And that's what she did.

Naya didn't say anything else. She only walked out of the hut in silence. The wind outside had started to pick up. Naya held a hand up to her eyes, to try and shield them from the sand that was being carried by the wind. When she entered Zara's hut, she quickly closed the flaps and shook her head, ridding of the sand that had become stuck in her hair. When she turned around, Naya paused and sucked in a short breath. The young girl was sitting at the table and she was looking at Naya, however, she was wearing what looked like makeshift goggles. Of course, the girl didn't say anything, but a giant smile was resting on her face.

Naya felt her lips curl into a smirk. "Did you make those?"

The girl only answered with a vigorous nod.

"I showed her how to." Zara turned back to the table, she was messing with a pile bags towards the back of the hut. "You need to learn how to make one as well. Come here." She motioned Naya to come closer.

"Is that a Stormtrooper helmet?" She asked. The helmet was just sitting on the table, in two pieces and the lenses had been taken out.

"Yes." Zara nodded at the young girl. "She found it in the pile back there," she pointed at the bags she had just been going through. "And she wanted me to use it. Now, you need to find one."

Naya looked up at Zara and smiled. "Me? Why do we need goggles?"

"Your mother told me that she was going to take you both out to the ship graveyard," Naya nodded in affirmation. "Those ships have been there for quite a while. You need to protect yourself, especially your eyes."

"My mother did say something about protection. She has a few things for me to wear when we go out."

"And goggles are an essential," Zara added. "Now, go over there and see if you can find another helmet or so."

Naya nodded. There were quite a few bags, strewn across the ground and piled on each other. She spotted a bag that was still open. Possibly the one where the Stormtrooper helmet was discovered. She decided to start there. Naya began to rummage through the bag, which was relatively large and towards the bottom, she saw a black mass. Pulling it out, Naya quickly examined the object. It was helmet, no question about that. It was black, however, being out in the desert, it was worn down. A large crack split down the top of the helmet and dirt was smeared all over it. But, the lenses still seemed to be in fair condition.

"How about this one?" Naya turned and showed the helmet to Zara, who quickly nodded her head. "This is a tie fighter helmet, isn't it?"

"Yes it is. I've only managed to find a couple that were in decent enough condition. All of the others were too damaged to take."

Naya walked over to the table and sat down next to Zara. "This isn't going to be difficult, will it?"

"Oh, no. It is actually fairly simple."

Zara took the helmet from Naya and looked for a spot that was weak enough to dismantle the framing of the helmet. Naya watched her in silence, although, just staring at the helmet, she couldn't help but think about the battle that took place.

"Zara?"

The older woman hummed in response.

"What exactly happened here? I mean, with the battle and everything."

"You mother never told you anything about it?" Zara questioned. After finding a weak spot, Zara used a tool to crack open the framing around the lenses and pulled it open.

"No," Naya answered quietly. "She only said that there was a battle between the Empire and the Rebellion."

"Well, that is a very summarized version of it." Zara pulled out the lenses and placed them both on the table. She then pulled over pieces of overlapping fabric, that had been cut out into the right shape for eye wear. Holes had been cut out to fit the shape of the lenses and so that Naya would be able to see through. Zara slid the lenses through an opening at the top and positioned them until they were aligned in the right position.

"You'll need to sew the lenses in place. Do you know how to sew at least?" Zara eyed Naya with the thread and needle in her hand.

Naya nodded and reached for the thread and needle. "My mom showed me the basics of it."

"Then just follow what she taught you."

Naya picked up the goggles and began to thread the fabric around the lenses. "These will be easy for you to adjust and repair." Zara added quickly, before starting her explanation about the battle that took place here.

"The battle happened because the Empire wanted to try and give one last push against the New Republic. This was a year after the Battle of Endor." Zara began, making sure to keep careful attention to how Naya was knitting. "The rebels were trying to find an Imperial weapons facility on the planet and the Empire didn't want to grant them any other victory."

Naya's brows furrowed, not from the knitting, but from Zara's statement. "But, wasn't the Empire already weakened from the whole skirmish on Endor? It seems a little pointless for them to try and put up another defense."

"This is the Empire we're talking about Naya," Zara lightly answered. "Any window that opened a way for victory was something they would take. But, the Empire lost. Their last attack did nothing to salvage their own demolished power."

Naya finished sewing around one of the lenses and quickly tied on another piece of thread to start on the last lens. "But, isn't there still some kind of form of the Empire out there?"

"That is why we have the Resistance. To make sure that they keep everything in line. That is what your father helps with."

Naya paused her sewing and looked up at Zara, who only answered with a brow raise. "That's why he didn't come with us." Her voice was so quiet; she didn't think Zara heard her. But, she did take notice that the young girl was looking at her, still wearing the makeshift goggles.

"There is more to his reasoning for not coming here with you and your mother," Zara added, confirming that she had heard Naya. "But, you should be able to understand that your mother was right. He is needed there."

There was nothing she could think of to say, so she continued on with her sewing. A part of her knew that Zara's words were true. But, the other half was against it. The only thing Naya wanted was for her family to be together, what was left of it at least. The fact that he didn't even try to come with them was confusing for her.

"There. I'm done." Naya leaned away from her finished product and Zara hummed in her approval.

"Good job. Now, just sew the top slit closed and you will be done with this." Zara moved to stand up from her seat. "Have you eaten anything Naya?"

"No. Not yet."

"Then, I'll start with dinner. You just finish that up."

Sewing this part up wasn't going to take much time. The opening wasn't that big, just enough to where the lenses could slide in. Naya noticed that the young girl was still looking at her, more so watching her sew the opening closed. Naya then opted for starting their daily conversation. For the past couple of days, Naya had continuously engaged in conversation with her. Of course, she didn't necessarily receive any verbal response. But, the young girl offered smiles and nods. Physical expressions that showed Naya that she was engaged in whatever conversation Naya had sprung up. Naya considered it to be good progress, but obtaining the girl's name would be a bigger achievement.

"He has his own X-wing." The young girl quickly looked up at Naya, all curiosity was now placed on her. Although, the statement was a little random, but all Naya could think about now was her father.

"Yeah." Naya smiled. "He was a pilot for the Resistance. But, now of course he's doing more than just piloting for them. But, he knew his way around when it came to the ship's parts. Always trying to teach me about the different functions. Of course, I didn't really care for that. The only thing I ever wanted him to do was take me on flights in his X-wing. And he would. Just short flights. And I loved every minute of it."

When Naya was very young, before she even met Ben, most of the time it would just be her, Mila and her brother Jaiden. Naya's father would make sporadic trips back home. Whenever he was home, Calum would take his kids for quick flights on his X-wing. Naya loved it more than Jaiden, who preferred to not fly. Piloting was the one thing that Naya and her father bonded over. She wanted to be just like him. To become, not just a pilot, but a fighter for the Resistance. Of course, that particular dream doesn't have that much weight to it anymore.

"I wanted to be a pilot. That way I can go wherever I want, without having to think twice. I can go on as many journeys as I want. But, that's nothing more than a mere fantasy."

The young girl's expression, which was at first nothing but awe, had turned somber. She could see a small remnant of hope in Naya's personality. Hope that someday things might turn around for her. Hope that her life might fall back into the sense of normalcy she had before. And for the first time, she wanted to say something, anything that would provide just a small form of comfort for her. Naya had been nothing but open with her, telling her snippets of stories and showing her genuine kindness, as did Mila and Zara. All three of them have offered immense generosity to her. And she hasn't necessarily done anything to repay them, not that they were wanting or expecting anything.

Naya finished up the sewing and tied the end of the thread before cutting off the excess. She was done. Putting down the needle, Naya held up the goggles and looked up at the girl, seeing if she would give her own approval, which she did. Naya quickly slid on the band around her head and adjusted the piece until she was able to get a clear view through the lenses. They were still a little smudged, which didn't bother her. She could clean it off without any trouble.

The two girls spent a few minutes, getting used to wearing the goggles and looking all around the hut. This wasn't something Naya ever had to wear before, along with her new clothes. All of this was something she would have to adjust too. Naya was just starting to feel the realization sink in. She was being taken by her mother to the ship graveyard. She is going to have to scavenge for ship parts, in order to make a living. This was going to be her life from now on. It was a grim reality for her. But, what was she supposed to do? Naya knew her place. She is here because she had no other choice.

* * *

The sun had finally set, the temperature had gone down tremendously, as it always does with desert terrains. The wind had finally decided to die down, the only thing that remained was a small breeze that emphasized the decrease in temperature. Zara's hut was quiet. Naya and Zara were still sitting at the table, talking in quiet voices, making sure not to wake up the young girl, who was sleeping in her cot.

"You have actually been doing a good job with her."

Naya had been playing with the goggles she had made earlier, finding that she was rather intrigued by them. She moved her gaze up at Zara, her expression gave off a small questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"With the girl," she motioned at the small form in the cot. "She hasn't said a word to me."

Naya had turned in her chair to look at the girl. "Well, she hasn't actually said anything to me either," she then turned back around to face Zara. "I've been trying to get her to trust me."

"Well, you're not pushing her too much. And, she may not say anything, but I can tell you are breaking grounds with her."

Naya finally stopped playing with her goggles and crossed her arms over her chest. "Maybe. I don't even know what I'm doing half of the time. It just consists of my talking and nothing else."

"Don't change your method."

"I'll make sure not to." Naya pulled her knees up and hugged them close to her chest. "I wasn't planning on trying to befriend anyone here."

"Well, I'm not trying to make everything seem grimmer, but she is probably going to be the only person around here who is around your age."

That didn't really surprise Naya. When she and Mila were dropped off at the outpost, all she saw were older people. Although, it was possible that they had families, but Naya's first impression of this place was that it wasn't necessarily friendly to children.

"Are you and your mother managing?"

Naya shrugged. "She tries to act like she is fine. But, every time she looks at me, I can see it. She sees my brother and I get this feeling that she can hardly look at me or be around me. It happened, before I came over here. She just," Naya paused, stared at the table, then sniffed. "She just stared at me."

"Well, it's understandable," Zara began. "She lost her son, that is something no parent should have to go through."

"I know." Naya absentmindedly played with a piece of loose string on her pants. "I can't even mention him to her. But, we should be able to discuss him. Not allow him to become something that is forbidden to mention."

"You just have to give your mother some time," Zara explained. "Right now, that is a very sensitive subject. For both of you. I can't imagine what it must be like for you, losing a brother can be devastating."

"My brother wasn't the only person I lost." Naya mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

Naya didn't think that Zara had heard her. She tried to make her voice as low as she could, clearly she didn't do a good job with that. Naya rested her arms on her knees and leaned back in her chair. "I lost a friend…in that whole mess."

"I'm very sorry. I didn't know."

Naya slowly nodded her head. "Do you think any of this will go back to how it was before?" The question was random and Naya didn't take any time to think on it. It was something that Naya had always asked herself and wondered. "Will my mom and I get to leave Jakku? Go back to our home?" As she finished the question, Naya could feel her throat tighten.

Zara wasn't surprised by Naya's questions. The various conversations Zara and Mila had since they arrived, gave her insight into Mila's own mindset. She asked Zara the same questions, not really expecting an answer from her. However, with Naya, Zara felt that she needed to give her an answer. No matter how scattered it might be. "Naya. I'm not one to make any kind of predictions when it comes to something like this."

Naya pressed her lips into a thin line and tapped her fingers against her knee. "Could you at least try?"

Exhaling quietly, Zara sat up in her seat, mentally putting together a decent answer for Naya. "There really is no reason to keep asking yourself that Naya, what happened was a horrible tragedy. One that will take time for you to move on from. But, don't keep asking yourself those questions. Out here, you can't afford to let your mind get occupied with those thoughts. It's all about survival now. You will learn how to push those thoughts to the back of your mind."

Naya's vision began to blur from the moisture that was brimming. She felt her lips tremble and she pressed them together in order to prevent them from doing it again. "Are you saying that, I'll eventually forget what happened?"

"No," Zara's answer was firm, but not harsh. "No, you'll never forget it. But, you'll learn how to live with it. All that you are feeling right now; anger, sadness, grief, you'll use those as motivation and also excel at controlling them."

"Live with it," she quietly repeated, disliking the statement almost immediately. "I won't be able to truly move on from what happened," Naya shrugged her shoulders. "Because I'll be too busy scavenging?"

"It's not something that you do voluntarily." Zara was quick to clarify. "It's by nature. This environment that you are going to be living in will condition you in doing so."

The warm moisture spilled from her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. "That's not fair. I don't want that to happen."

"I know. But, trust me, in a way, it makes things much easier," another thought popped into Zara's head and she offered Naya a faint smile. "You asked me about leaving Jakku. Your mother left this place because she made a choice. She didn't want to live out the rest of her life here. So, she left and she met your father. I guarantee you, that there will come a day when you will have that opportunity. And you will have to choose, whether to stay or leave."

Naya quickly wiped at the tear stains, a wet exhale followed. As a form of comfort, Zara offered her hand, which Naya took with her own. The last few words did something for her. As someone who never wanted to come here, but had no choice. Knowing that her experience here would most likely hardened her, make her into a survivalist. It was daunting. Not exactly how she thought her future would play out. But, those words gave life to Naya's dwindling hope. She might be lucky enough to get that kind of opportunity. And a majority of her knew that she would leave this place. But, there was still that small part of her that made Naya think that if that moment ever came, she wouldn't choose to leave. She would choose to stay behind and that thought worried her.

* * *

 **This was a pretty mellow chapter. I will admit, the next few will be fairly mellow. I was debating on whether to add Naya & Rey's first trip to the graveyard in this chapter, but I decided against it. I wanted to make that it's own chapter. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed it! **


	4. Part I: III

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars_

* * *

" _Naya."_

The young girl turned to the source of the voice. Her mother. She casually motioned for Naya to come closer. Naya stood up from her spot, in front of their hut, and walked over to her. It was the middle of the day, right when the sun was at its highest, making the heat nearly unbearable.

"Why can't we just stay in the hut?" Naya stopped in front of her mother, making sure to wipe away the sweat from her brow.

"You're going to get use to this heat," Mila commented, offhandedly, "Before I take you out to the graveyard, you need to learn some basic defense skills."

"Defense skills?" Naya allowed her shoulders to sulk, "You can't teach me this inside the hut, out of this heat?"

"Naya." Mila's voice held an unsaid warning. Telling Naya to stop asking to get out of the heat.

She finally relented with a heavy sigh and nodded her head, signaling for her mother to continue.

"I'm not going to make this complicated for you," Mila removed her scarf wrap and secured it around her waist, "I don't expect you to get into a brawl with anyone on your first outing,"

"Sounds fine to me," Naya wanted to get this going, that way they could finish it and she could retreat into the hut.

"Okay," Mila reached out and took hold of Naya's arm, "The first thing I want to teach you is how to punch,"

"Punch?" Naya questioned, "That sounds like a fairly simple thing to do,"

Mila raised her brow and smirked, "You would think. But, there is a certain technique you should follow and that involves," she gave a few gentle taps to Naya's hand, "Making the right fist to punch with."

Naya looked at her hand and then her mother, giving an unsure look, "Okay," she replied, unenthusiastically.

Mila gave a small amused sigh, "Okay, let's get started. When you make a fist, make sure that your thumb is outside, not tucked inside," Mila closed Naya's hand, showing her what to do with her thumb, "Got it?"

Naya assessed the work and then gave a quick nod, "Yes."

"Make sure to always remember that. When you go in for a punch, you could break your thumb and you don't want to do that,"

Naya gave a singular nod, "Got it."

"Now, when it comes to aiming for where to hit, don't go for the face,"

Naya raised a brow and gave her mother a questioning look, "Isn't that where you're supposed to hit them?"

"They can easily dodge the hit," Mila explained and smiled when Naya nodded her head, "I would suggest to aim for the chest, ribs or," Mila used her other hand to point at her neck, "Aim for their throat."

Naya's eyes widened at the thought of possibly punching someone in the throat. In fact, the idea of having to punch or physically harm anyone was a little scary for her.

"And when you punch, aim and punch with your first two knuckles. They're the strongest of your fingers."

"Okay," Naya stared at her fist and tilted her head, "Can I still punch someone in the face though?"

Mila couldn't help but smirk, "Yes you can. But, don't do it with a fist, do it with the bottom palm of your hand," she opened Naya's hand and turned it over, quickly tapping at the area. "You use this part, it's the softest part of your palm. And always aim upwards."

After taking in the information, Naya slowly nodded her head, "And to think, I always thought that punching was just a simple thing to do."

"Once you get the hang of it, it'll be easy for you, and I don't expect you to have this all down in one go," Mila quickly made Naya's hand back into a fist, "Now, I want you to practice punching."

"Punching, what?"

Mila released her hold on Naya's arm and leveled her palm in front of Naya, "Practice punching my palm."

The look that Mila received from her daughter almost made her laugh, Mila could see that Naya was silently questioning her, "You want me to punch your palm?"

Mila found Naya's hesitation not surprising. Naya was a kid who never would get physical with anyone. No fights on her part. That was something Mila had been grateful for, Jaiden had been through a few instances like that, but nothing too major. Naya was always teased by Jaiden for being too good. Now, teaching her how to defend herself would understandably confuse her.

"Naya, it's fine," Mila tapped at her open palm, "Just throw some punches right here, don't exert yourself too much."

Naya adjusted her fingers as she positioned herself, giving her a more direct line to her mother's hand. Making sure that her thumb was outside of her fist, she narrowed her vision down on her target and threw out her first punch. She heard the impact, although she didn't really feel anything. It was a weak punch.

"That was good," Mila was quick to give encouragement, "Try it one more time, just put a little more into it."

Her mother's encouraging words made Naya focus her attention more. Bringing her fist up, Naya eyed her mother's palm, took a few seconds to get her aim right and then lurched her arm forwards. This time, she felt and felt a few pops in her knuckles. The sound surprised her and Naya immediately retracted her hand and looked down at her fingers.

"You're okay," Mila assured. "You just popped your knuckles, you're fine."

Naya flexed out her fingers, just to make sure. She was fine. Still, Naya had a right to be worried. She had never done anything like this before. It was different. Uncomfortable. She didn't feel like herself. Physical violence was never something her parents promoted for her to take an approach too. The very idea that this was now necessary in order for her to _survive_ out here, it was jarring.

"Naya, try it again,"

Mila's voice brought Naya back to center. Again, Naya positioned herself in the right stance, made her hand into a proper fist and went back at it, throwing a few punches. They started out fairly strong. Not enough to where it would hurt either Mila or Naya. But, Mila could tell that Naya was putting as much into it as she possibly could. However, after a small amount of time, the punches were starting to get weaker with their impacts. Naya was losing her drive. Naya threw her last punch and then took a step back. Her forehead was slick with sweat and her lungs were burning from inhaling the humid air.

Mila straightened her back, keeping her vision on Naya, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she huffed out a breath and kicked at the sand, "I just find it odd. You're teaching me how to defend myself because we are living on this barren wasteland. I just can't stop thinking about how everything just changed."

"I know," Mila shook out her hand, the one Naya had been punching, and allowed her arm to hang by her side, "I know that you didn't want to come out here. But, you have been doing amazingly well."

Naya shrugged at her mother's attempt at a compliment. Not that she was dismissing it. She didn't feel like it was true. "I just want to go home."

Mila nodded her head, sadly. "Me too."

There was more Mila could have said. But, all she had to offer was the truth. She did want to go home. She wanted to see her husband, her son. The normal life she had been living had been cruelly ripped away from her. She would do anything to make it all go back to normal. But, what was the point of that? Wishing for something that would never happen. It would only wear her down. She had to move on, Naya had to move on.

"You want to try again?" Mila was hoping that it would help get Naya out of this mindset. Help to keep her focused, "Come on, Naya."

The young girl didn't necessarily want to continue. She wanted to go back inside the hut, to get out of this heat. But, her mother seemed persistent. Perhaps, if Naya just gave a little more into this next attempt, her mother would be satisfied. Settling for going another round, Naya took her stance and raised her hands up in fists. Narrowing down her focus on her mother's palm, she threw out singular hits, they weren't weak nor were they overbearing. They were nice solid hits, a testament to the fact that Naya was concentrating more. Just what Mila wanted. Naya had figured that putting more effort into this next round would earn her with being able to go back into the hut.

"Okay, that's enough."

Naya halted and allowed her arms to hang down by her side. Her forehead was drenched with new sweat and the muscles in her arms were aching.

She used one of her hands to gently massage the sore area, "I'm just not used to doing something like this."

"Give it time," Mila offered. "You will grow accustomed to it."

"Doesn't that bother you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Not that long ago, we were at our home. And now, you are having to teach me how to defend myself," Naya shrugged limply. "I was never someone who would get physically violent with someone. Now, out here, it's almost a requirement. Doesn't that bother you?"

"That's not something that I have been thinking about a lot," Mila untied the scarf warp from her waist and used it to dry her face, "I am doing everything to make sure that we make it out here."

"You can't afford to dwell on it," The conversation that Naya had with Zara was the first thing that came to her mind. About living with what she was feeling and now facing it. Having to not think about how everything went wrong and just focus on surviving. Naya couldn't stop thinking about it because she didn't know if she would be able to do that.

"Where did that come from?"

"Zara told me. She kind of gave me this talk about how it's not wise to keep yourself in that kind of mindset. Especially when it comes to living out here."

"Well, Zara does have her head in the right place, I don't think about it because it's not important. And it won't change anything by worrying."

Naya nodded quietly but she wanted to change the topic, "What about the girl?" Naya made her hands into fists and raised them up, "Are you going to teach her how to punch as well?"

"I will," Mila mulled over her thoughts for a moment longer, "Perhaps not right away. She still is not at ease with being around me. However," Mila pointed at her daughter, "You seem to be getting through to her."

"Not exactly," her hands fell back down to her sides, "I don't feel as if I'm making progress. I just talk to her."

"There's nothing wrong with just talking to her," Mila motioned for Naya to start heading towards Zara's hut. "Give it a little more time and I am certain you will be the first one to get through to her."

Naya appreciated her mother's assurance but she didn't say anything else on the matter. She felt immense doubt that she would ever be able to strike some kind of mutual trust with this young girl. But, Naya knew that she was going to continue with what she was doing, no matter how much she was doubting herself. After having done this since she arrived, it has become almost second nature. Talk to the girl, carry on conversations with her. Even though Naya didn't get verbal responses, the girl made sure to let Naya know that she was listening. Whether it was head nodding or more recently, humming. If it was a direct question Naya asked, the girl would respond with some kind of hum noise. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Naya to go on with. She felt that she was on the right path and she wasn't keen on stepping off too soon. Naya was going to be persistent. After all, that is how she befriended Ben. Even when he tried to get her to go away, Naya stood her ground. That is what she had to be here, of course, a little more careful with how much she pushed her.

Upon entering the hut, Naya saw the young girl wearing a hood and a wrap around her face. And covering her eyes were the goggles that they made. There was a new feature to her goggles. A small flashlight that had been attached to the right side. Naya admired the outfit for a brief second and then nodded.

"I like that whole setup," Naya pointed at her outfit, earning a head tilt from the girl. Naya didn't need to see her face to know that she was smiling.

"You are going to have something similar," Zara turned to the table and picked up a shawl, with long sleeves and a huge hood attached to it. There was another huge piece of fabric on the table.

"Am I going to wear both?" she asked, eyeing everything curiously.

Zara quickly glanced down at the fabric on the table and nodded, "You will use that to wrap around her head to secure your hood in place and it will cover your mouth and nose. Keep you from breathing in the dust."

"I want you to try this on Naya."

Naya sighed quietly as her mother helped her into the shawl. Then, making sure that her daughter was paying attention, Mila slowly wrapped the extra fabric around her head, covering her mouth and nose, until it was secured with a small knot. Naya was going to have to learn how to do this and she watched silently. The way her mother was working with the fabric, trying to keep a mental image of what she was doing. Mila took a second to evaluate the head dress and then nodded.

"Where are my goggles?" Naya's muffled voice asked.

Zara picked them up from the table and handed them to her. Naya then quickly pulled on her goggles, aligned her eyes with the lens and she was done. She looked over at the young girl, who was staring at her through her own goggles. Both of them taking in the site of the other.

"That will have to do."

Naya turned to look at her mother, who had quickly started a conversation with Zara. Most likely about when she was going to take them to the graveyard. Naya focused her attention back on the girl and took a few steps towards her.

"Zara did tell you that my mother is taking us out to the graveyard?"

The girl gave a stern nod.

"You know, my mother is going to teach you how to defend yourself," The girl slowly tilted her head and pulled up her goggles so that Naya could see her eyes. Naya only nodded at the confusion in her eyes, "We need to learn how to defend ourselves,"

Naya realized that it would be so much easier for her to talk if the wrap wasn't around her mouth. In a quick movement, Naya pulled down the fabric, exposing her mouth, and exhaled. "I don't think she will teach you until a little later. I don't think we are going to be getting into our first skirmish any time soon."

The girl's mouth cinched to the side and her eyes down casted.

"Are you ready?" Naya asked, earning the girl's attention, "I mean with all of this. Going out, scavenging, you ready for that?"

The girl only stared at Naya, contemplating on her question. She was about to start a routine that would have to be repeated every single day. Was she ready for that? The girl merely shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't entirely sure what she was feeling about all of this. Both girls knew that they wouldn't be able to delay anything. Everything around them was moving forward at an alarming rate and they were just barely keeping up.

* * *

The day had finally come.

Naya had been woken at an early time, Mila had wanted to leave for the graveyard early enough to give them adequate time to scavenge around the location. However, getting up this early in the morning was something that Naya hadn't done before. Back home, there was no need for her to rise at this hour. She sulked around the hut, getting her outfit together while being half asleep. Putting on the garments was another thing. Naya was moving at such a slow rate, stumbling in her stance. Mila eventually had to step in and help with dressing her.

With Mila's help, getting dressed was very easy for her. Afterward, Naya walked around the hut for a few minutes, trying to wake herself up. The heaviness in her eyes melted away and her body slowly built up the adrenaline she would need for the day. Her muscles twitched back to life and she was starting to become alert. When it was time to head out, Naya made sure to find something before leaving. After rummaging through her bag, she found what she had been looking for. A small necklace that her brother had made for her before leaving. He fashioned out two actually, one for each of them. Naya's had a 'J' engraved on hers while Jaiden had kept 'N' on his. Jaiden described it as being a way for them to stay connected while he was gone. Naya was very young when Jaiden left and the idea of her brother leaving her was unimaginable. She didn't want him to go. Jaiden didn't like the idea of leaving his sister with a broken down mindset. Instead, he made it more bearable for her through this method and she actually believed it. Of course, when she grew older, she knew it was just his way of lessening the hurt she might feel after he left. But, she still felt an ounce of her still believed it. That this little item was her special connection to him while he was away.

A little after Jaiden had died, Naya had taken it off, which was the first time she ever did. Having it hang around her neck was only a constant physical reminder of what had happened. She had to take it off. And it had been in her bag ever since. Only now, she finally decided to put it back on. In her mind, Naya thought it would act as some form of good luck charm. And in a sense, it was the only thing she had left that represented what her life was like _before_ everything was destroyed. Right now, she could use that kind of reassurance.

The sun was starting to rise over the horizon when they finally left. Piled onto the speeder, they took off towards the ship graveyard. Naya felt nervous being on it. It was strange to her. She had flown in an X-Wing since she was young, never felt nervous about that. But, a speeder made her body tense. This hunk of machinery was bulky and the sound was deafening. It made her think that it would combust any minute while they were riding on it. Loose sand blew in her face and Naya was glad that she had put on her goggles before they left. It would have been a real pain to have sand and dirt getting blown in her eyes.

Naya took notice on how the terrain never changed. All she saw was miles of sand, hardly any sign of people. A few times, they sped past groups that were walking back towards the outpost, presumably returning from the graveyard. This type of sight only made Naya feel _sad._ She was used to seeing tall buildings and people _everywhere._ This place was just too void and different. However, this was the type of sight she would be living with for who knows how long.

The sun was just about to peak at its highest when they finally arrived at the graveyard. Naya was taken aback from the scope of it all. The speeder was parked next to a huge sand hill and resting at the top, was a downed star destroyer. They were facing the main engines and Naya could spot several areas where the metal had decayed from the wreckage. This was the biggest wreckage in this graveyard. Everything else was small in comparison.

Mila adjusted her hood and moved her goggles into place. Securing her bag on her shoulder, she turned to the young girls, "We have to hike up the hill, don't push yourself too hard."

Both the girls nodded in compliance.

Mila nodded for them to follow and began their trek. She had taken them toward the side, where there was more of a slant going up, making it easier for them to hike up.

The hike was miserable. The sun was blaring down on them. Naya could feel her face was already covered in sweat. Having your face wrapped in a fabric with goggles isn't a positive while being out in the desert. It was even more arduous. Their feet kept on sinking into the sand. The exposed skin on their legs suffered from being submerged into hot sand. The higher they climbed, the casual breeze turned into strong winds. And with how small Naya was, it wasn't easy to stand her ground against it. When they finally reached the top, the wind was viewed as a blessing. All three of them were huffing in breaths, supplying their lungs with oxygen to help cool down their bodies. Naya took a moment to take in the scale of the ship's engines. The way they towered over her reminded Naya of the trees back on her home planet. Obviously, they weren't as tall as these engines. But, feeling so small compared to this ship was a familiar sensation to her. The wind blew in through the engines and she could hear an echoing howl venturing deeper within the vessel. It was an eerie sound. One that made Naya's entire body shiver.

When the three scavengers entered through the main engines, the howling was even more present. It sounded as if it was coming from all over and not just on source. And their footsteps against the metal swirled in with the air, which carried the noise with it. Streams of sunlight were showing through cracks and small openings. Naya felt another small shiver flow down her spine at the eeriness of it all. She had heard stories about the Empire and the battles that have taken place across the galaxy. Her father had always told her about tie-fighters and star destroyers, how big they were. Now, being in the presence of one and walking through the corpse of a destroying was honestly mind numbing. These things carried a huge number of workers and Stormtroopers.

 _How many of them died?_ Possibly all of them.

Naya could only imagine what this thing must have looked like while it was up and running. With workers making sure that the engines were in prime shape, that everything was working smoothly. Despite this being one of the Empire's vessel, Naya felt a small pang of sadness. A huge ship like this just sitting in the desert, slowly deteriorating while scavengers come every day to pick it clean. It was a grim thought.

They continued to walk until they came to a large open area. Mila stopped, which signaled for the two girls to stop as well. She scanned around the vessel and then turned to them, "You two are just going to do something simple. Nothing too complicated."

Mila pointed at a side wall, that led to an upper level, "That wall will be easy for you to climb, once you get up there, you will find crawl spaces. See what you two can find in there. Once you are done, climb all the way to the top. There will be another platform and some rope for you two to scale down a wall. Understood?"

Naya skimmed over the wall Mila was pointing too and mentally locked down on the information that she had given them, "Yes, mother,"

Mila nodded, "Go ahead,"

Naya turned to the young girl, silently conveying to follow and then led the way. The two girls stood in front of the wall and Naya took a quick surveillance. There were slots in which she would be able to grab hold of and put her feet through. _This should be like climbing a tree back home._

"This should be easy," she muttered. Looking over at the girl, she nodded. "I'll go first,"

Naya made sure that her bag was secured on her shoulders. Reaching up, she secured her hands on two of the slots and pulled herself up, her feet immediately finding openings to plant themselves on. Naya continuously referenced back to how she would climb tree back home. This wall and a tree were in no way similar. But, the technique she was using to scale this thing was relatively the same way she would climb a tree. The wall was a little higher than she had anticipated, which made Naya feel a little sick in her stomach when she looked down when she was halfway up. Finally reaching the top, Naya pulled herself onto the platform and maneuvered herself until she was looking over the edge.

"Come on up," she called down to the girl.

Being up on the platform, Naya could see how much she had climbed. From where she was, it looks a lot higher than it actually was. When the girl started to climb the wall, Naya could feel her stomach lurch a little. She was worried that something would go wrong and the girl would fall or hurt herself in some other way. Naya kept an eye on the girl as she began to scale the wall. She wasn't going as quick as Naya did, even though Naya went relatively slow. All Naya had to do was remember how she climbed the trees back home. It was the same principle.

The young girl was approaching to the top, close enough to where Naya would be able to reach out for her. In fact, that's what she did. Naya leaned forward and reached her arm out, taking hold of her wrist.

"I got you," the other girl reached up with her other arm and took hold of Naya's. She was smaller than Naya, which was an advantage. It wasn't like she was trying to pull up her mother. Still pulling her up was no easy task.

Once she was on the platform, the two girls both sat on the platform, their chest heaving with heave exhales. Mila called out to them, "Are you both alright?"

Naya maneuvered herself over to the ledge and gave her mother a small wave, _we're fine_ , were the unsaid words. Mila took Naya's wave as a good sign and then walked off, with Naya watching her silently. When Mila was out of sight, Naya moved back and stood up.

"You okay?" Naya asked the girl, who simply nodded her response.

"Good," Naya reached down to help her up on her feet, "Let's go."

They both started walking in one general direction. If they had gone the other way, it would have led them to a dead end. It wasn't long until they came upon the crawl spaces that Mila was talking about. Naya noticed that there were two openings, "You take the one on the right," she said to the girl, "I'll be in the left one."

The girl nodded and moved to the crawl space that Naya had designated for her. Naya knelt down in front of her opening and slide into the opening. The space was tight, even with her size, Naya still had a little trouble moving through the space. Halfway in, Naya paused and looked around. She gripped onto a metal bar that was a few inches further in and pulled. She slid all the way in and realized that she was on her back. It would be a lot easier if she was on her stomach. Naya's movements were sporadic, there wasn't much room for her to work with but she managed to turn onto her stomach.

 _That's better._

Naya used various bars and thick wiring as a leverage to pull herself through the crawl space. There was a barrier of wires that separated her from the girl, but they could see each other, somewhat. They both really had no idea what exactly to get. Mila had commented to them how really almost anything can be traded.

"Pick whatever looks decent enough."

The entire vessel was heating up from the sun and being in this tiny crawl space wasn't any better. She felt almost like she was being suffocated. The wrap around her face, combined with the heat and being confined in this tiny crawl space was a recipe for the claustrophobic feeling that was settling in. Could she do anything about it? No. Naya had to venture on. The cramped tunnel was filled with nothing but heavy sighs and grunts from the two girls. Their faces were becoming slick with sweat, but they had to keep their faces covered. Zara was right. Naya could see dirt releasing into the air from their movements. The last thing they need is to be breathing that in.

Naya finally stopped when she came to a small panel on her left side. She moved herself onto her right side as best as she could and pulled out her light. There were bunches of wiring grouped together, prompting her to pull them out. The only thing that was revealed was a small cylinder object.

 _That looks like something._

Reaching in, Naya grabbed hold and yanked out the object. Upon inspecting it, there were only two openings on the top and bottom. Whatever it was, she was taking it. Naya pulled open her bag and dropped the part in. Then she continued on. A few more things were added to her inventory. Objects that she had no way of identifying, they only looked like something.

The two girls continued on, not knowing that they had crawled about half way through the tunnel. No attempt at conversation was made on Naya's part. She was already out of breath from just crawling and sitting in this small tunnel that was heating up. Trying to talk to one another felt like it would be a wasted effort. They finally stopped when there was an opening in the barrier. It was getting even more humid in the cramped space. Naya pulled her bag around and took out one of her canteens and took a long drink from it.

"Here," she reached through the opening, offering the canteen to the girl. Mila had given Naya canteens for her and the girl, telling Naya to hold onto them and to ration out how much they drank from it, "Are you okay?"

The young girl took the canteen and nodded. She pulled away her shawl and took a drink. Little streams of water trickled down her chin, which she wiped away immediately. After taking another drink, she handed the canteen back over to Naya.

"How much did you get?" Naya took the bottle, capped it, and placed it back in her bag.

The girl looked down at her bag and held up three fingers. Naya nodded silently, "We have a little bit more to go, we'll pick up whatever we find on the way."

Naya fumbled with her shawl to cover her mouth. She really hated that. It was hard enough to breathe in the humid air, but to have this thing covering her nose and mouth was making it even more difficult.

"Okay."

A small voice complied. Naya paused and turned to look at the young girl. _She just spoke._ The two simply remained in silence, allowing Naya to ride out her own surprise. For days, she had worked to get this kind of response from her. Naya honestly thought it was going to take more than a few weeks, possibly even longer. This girl just made a small step to bridge this trust that Naya had been trying to create. And it happened in a very unlikely place. A dirty crawl space within a crashed Imperial destroyer.

"I think we've torn down the final wall," Naya's voice was muffled behind the fabric covering her face. She then exhaled a breathy laugh.

The young girl gave Naya a small smile before pulling up the shawl over her mouth. "Sorry," she managed to mutter behind the fabric.

"There is no need to apologize," Naya assured, "Let's just work our way out of this place,"

Naya went to start moving when she stopped and turned back to the girl, "This probably isn't the best time to ask this, what's your name?"

"Rey."

Even though it wasn't visible, Naya had the biggest smile tugging at her lips. Perhaps the biggest smile she had conjured up in quite a while. Rey, with just one single word, finally broke down this barrier between them. Getting her to say something was Naya's biggest goal, now it has been met.

"Rey," Naya repeated the name, "Nice to meet you Rey, I'm Naya," she reached through the opening, offering her hand, to which Rey took.

"Nice to meet you too, Naya."

The two remained in this position for only a few brief seconds, when Naya finally pulled her hand away, "Okay, Rey, let's go." Naya sounded actually _happy._ She even took notice of how light her voice was. She didn't realize how elated she was about this moment until just then. Naya wasn't going to take it back. It felt good to have a moment of just pure elation.

The two continued on, stopping occasionally to check and see if there were other parts that they could take with them. There really wasn't much. Naya wasn't an expert scavenger. But, some spaces looked like they had already been picked clean. Other scavengers no doubt. Once again, they didn't try to make conversation. It was hard enough for them to breathe in this confined space, they weren't going to waste their breath by talking at that point.

Finally, they reached an opening at the end of the crawl space and pulled themselves onto the platform. Naya helped Rey out of the crawl space, casually dusting off some dirt that was on her shoulder. The two girls looked around. It was darker, towards the end of the platform they could see the drop off.

Naya raised her light and turned around, finding herself facing a large wall full of thick wires that had weathered and multiple panels.

"You think there is anything here we can salvage?"

Rey turned around, adjusting the light on her goggles, "We can check,"

Naya slowly walked towards the wall, the entire ship creaked, causing the noises to echo through the cavernous space. Naya jumped at a few of the noises, she wasn't used to this surrounding yet. There was a panel that was easily accessible for her and upon further inspection, she only found bunches of wiring.

Stepping back, she looked up the length of the wall, "I think this is just mostly wiring, nothing for us to take with us,"

Rey stepped up alongside her, "Are you not going to try and climb up?"

"I would," Naya looked down at Rey, "Do you think it's a good idea?" she raised a brow for effect.

This particular wall was huge, had a longer length than the wall Naya and Rey had to scale to get on the first platform. That was fairly easy. This looked a lot trickier. From what Naya was able to observe, there weren't many spaces where she would be able to hold onto, or plant her feet on. If there were some kind of rope she could use as leverage, then maybe. But, she didn't find anything like that.

"Maybe you shouldn't," Rey's voice answered with reason and Naya didn't hesitate to agree with her.

"I agree," Naya replied with a smile, forgetting that Rey wouldn't be able to see it. "We should go and scale down the wall, it's this way."

Naya turned and walked down the left side of the platform, with Rey trudging along behind her. It was still astonishing to Naya. The way it all looked. The time that it took to build it was something she couldn't really comprehend. All of those stories of battles and Imperial ships. Now she was standing inside one. It was a strange feeling. Upon reaching the drop off, Naya timidly looked down, the drop made her stomach lurch. _That looks really high._

"We have to climb down this?" Rey's tiny voice hinted at her small concern.

Naya grabbed hold of the rope that was hanging in front of her. Looking up, she saw that it was tied to one of the metal bannisters above. Giving it a few tugs, Naya surmised that it was still safe to use.

"The rope is still good," she grabbed the rope with both of her hands and turned her back towards the drop off, "You just watch me and I'll tell you when you can start scaling down,"

Rey nodded silently.

"Okay," Naya slowly eased herself towards the very edge, the back of her feet hanging off. "I can do this; I can do this," Naya quietly assured herself as she slowly began to scale down the wall. Luckily, this wall was much like the first. Slots that she was able to easily plant her feet in. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Still, on the climb down, she stole a few looks below and it only made her swallow hard. Though she questioned herself. She was so nervous about scaling down this wall when she was more than happy to climb the huge trees back home. Trying to understand how her mind was working right now wasn't a priority for her.

When her feet finally touched the ground, Naya let out a relieved breath, "Okay, Rey, come down."

In the moment of watching Rey scale down the wall and she felt it again. That instant lurch in her stomach, a huge wave of worry washed over her. And Naya was finally able to realize what this feeling was. She never had a younger sibling; she was the younger sibling. Several times growing up, Naya had done something that worried Jaiden. He was always watching out for her, being over protective. Naya wasn't an obnoxious or energetic child, but there were a few instances where she could have gotten into serious trouble or hurt herself. She never was able to gain an understanding of the whole older sibling complex. Always making sure that your younger siblings were in line and safe. That is what she was feeling now. Naya hasn't known Rey long enough to view her as a sister, but she might as well. Rey was younger than Naya and the latter couldn't deny that there was a bond starting to form between them. Watching Rey climbing down with nothing but a rope to help support her was nerve wracking.

"I finally get it, Jaiden," Naya said, "I get why you were always so over protective,"

Rey scaled the last few feet of the wall and then jumped down when she was at a reasonable height above the ground. Turning around, her head ticked to the side, "Did you say something?"

Naya snapped out of her little trance, "No, you okay?" she wasn't actually aware that Rey had heard what she said. Although, with how cavernous this place was, it can carry even the smallest noise.

Rey nodded, "How did I do?"

Naya smiled, still not remember that her entire face was covered, "You did a good job,"

"What do we do now?"

"We go and find my mother,"

They walked. Not really knowing which direction was correct. Naya was only basing it off of trying to get back to where they started. Surely her mother would have stayed around the same area. Naya knew her mother. She wouldn't have wondered off far. The humidity in the crashed vessel had reached the highest point. Every exhale made them feel as if more energy was being sucked out of them. Several times, they had to pulled up their goggles and wipe their faces. And this is what Naya's life has come down to, doing _this_ every single day.

Naya scoffed to herself. She wouldn't be here if her brother hadn't died. She wouldn't be here if Ben hadn't killed him. She wouldn't be here if Ben didn't have to be sent away. Maybe things would have been different if that never happened. Naya mentally berated herself. _Stop thinking about it._ She ordered to herself. Naya just blamed it on the fact that it was too hot. That the humidity was getting to her.

They went through two full canteens, ultimately deciding to save the two left in Naya's bag. Naya and Rey walked through a darkened section of the vessel, no sunlight was able to touch this particular area. Even though they both had their own light sources, it wasn't enough to create a very well-lit path for them. A large amount of time was spent navigating through the darkened space, until they came upon an opening that was blazing with light. When Naya peered out, it was to the large opening they arrived at when they first entered the vessel.

"We made it," Naya climbed out of the opening and helped Rey through as well, "That wasn't exactly that bad,"

Rey shrugged her shoulders, "It wasn't the best experience,"

"Naya!"

Mila's voice boomed around them, prompting both girls to look up. Mila was walking towards them, one of her hands gripping part of the strap on her bag, "Are you two alright?"

Naya nodded, "Yeah, we're fine."

"How much did you both get?"

"Combined, we only managed to salvage about seven items."

Mila nodded, "That's a nice number for your first time," she switched her gazes between the two girls, "Did you both managed to scale down the wall without trouble?"

"It was fine," Naya answered, "Did you get anything?"

Mila motioned at her bag, "Only a few things, I didn't want us to haul too much out of here, not this time around."

"Are we done here?" Naya asked.

Mila nodded, "Yes. Let's get back to the speeder."

Naya and Rey waited for Mila to start walking and then followed.

"Just think," Naya said to Rey, "This what we have to do for now on."

* * *

 **Like i said, these next few chapters are going to be pretty mellow. But, I hope you guys liked it!**

 **Review Responses:**

 **January Lily:** Don't worry about it! I know that real life can just be a mess some times! But, I am really glad that you like Naya and you like the story so far! Honestly, I think you would do a hell of a job if you did a Ben/OC story! :) And I really am glad you like the title. I just wanted it to be simple and Requiem just kinda stuck with me. And Yes! I LOVED writing the flashback. There will be a few more between Naya and Ben as the story progresses. Thank you so much for your reviews!

 **Judy Laura L:** I am really glad that you like the story and Naya! She is definitely a character that I have put a lot of thought into and I hope she remains to be interesting for you!


	5. Part I: IV

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**_

* * *

Naya slid off the speeder, her feet making a soft impact on the sand. Immediately turning around, Naya reached up and helped Rey off the speeder. Once they were situated, Mila handed the girls their individual bags filled with the parts they had scavenged. Securing the straps on their shoulders, the girls made their way into Zara's hut. Once inside, Naya placed her bag on the table. She stepped back, lifted up her goggles and pulled down the wrap from her mouth. Immediately, she exhaled heavy breaths. Her face was slick with sweat and small patches of dirt that were sticking to small exposed skin. She just felt dirty.

There was a bowl on the table with a good amount of water sitting in it. A small rag sitting next to the bowl garnered her attention. Taking the rag, she dipped it into the bowl and wringed out the excess water before wiping her face with it. Zara offered Rey another small rag for her to use to clean off her face. The young girl was quite grateful for it. Once they were both done, they placed the damp rags onto the table and began to shred off their excess clothing. There was no need for them to keep them on any longer.

Naya took in a sharp inhale and felt how dry her throat was. She pulled out a canteen from her bag and took a few long drinks. Soon after, she gave Rey the canteen, allowing her to quench her thirst as well.

"How was the trip out?"

Naya pulled off her face wrap, allowing it to bundle into a small pile on the table, "It was hot," the statement only made Zara chuckle, "And not really that pleasant."

Only a nod of agreement came from the older woman, "How much did you two get?"

"Not that much," Naya looked down at Rey for a brief moment, "Just a few things, enough to last maybe a couple of days."

The dissatisfaction was evident in Naya's voice. Hinting to Zara that the young girl didn't feel like she had accomplished much with this first outing, "It was your first time out there; you're not going to get much on the first try."

Naya nodded. Looking down at their bags, she then motioned at them, "What do we need to clean these?"

Zara held up a finger, telling her _one minute,_ before turning towards a table and began to gather what they would need. In the meantime, Naya and Rey both situated themselves down on the table benches and began to pull out the parts from their bags.

"Where's your mother, Naya?"

The girl paused and turned to look at the hut's opening. "She's probably back at our hut," she had a pretty good idea as to why she didn't come in here. Mila needed time, alone. That was a realization Naya understood far too quickly. Give her mother as much space as she needed.

Zara merely hummed at Naya's words, not really knowing exactly what to say. It was even evident to her that Mila was slowly, but surely, distancing herself. Not to the point of total isolation, but enough to the point that Zara is starting to really worry about her. Dispelling these thoughts for a brief moment, Zara brought over two cleaning brushes, "Make sure you two wear your gloves, you don't want all of the dirt to stick to your hands,"

Naya and Rey obliged by slipping back on their gloves. "I assume I don't have to show you two how to clean these,"

Naya gave Zara a look, fully aware that the older woman was teasing them, "No, you don't," the girl replied with a smile.

Zara gave a firm nod, "Then I'll let you two get on with it."

"Thank you, Zara." Naya said.

"Thank you," Rey followed with her own gratitude.

All of the occupants went quiet. Rey was quick to start cleaning at her pickings, not noticing that Zara was staring at Rey with the most surprised look on her face. A quick glance to Naya was the only answer she needed. Naya had managed to get through with Rey. Zara simply smiled, "You're very welcome."

Rey glanced up and gave Zara a small smile. "I'll go and check on your mother," Zara gave Naya a gentle reassuring shoulder squeeze before leaving the hut.

 _There isn't much you'll be able to do,_ Naya thought. Zara wasn't in Mila's position; she couldn't really relate to how she feels or how her mind has been working since the event happened. Zara was going to learn on her own that the only way to help, is to leave her alone. It's not the most ideal conclusion, however, neither is crowding around Mila.

Naya shook her head, dismissing her thoughts away. Dipping her brush in the water, she proceeded to scrubbing the parts clean. Both girls started off with the smaller objects they collected, they both found out, fairly quickly, how difficult it can to be clean these things. There were certain areas that required more attention. The grime and dirt had caked all over these objects. Not to mention that the ship has been sitting in the same spot for about thirty years. In the middle of the desert, the entirety of the ship has been subjected to harsh heat. It is no surprise that the condition of these parts can look poor.

Silence was all they were surrounded with. Aside from the wind that blew against the hut and the sound of brushes scraping across a hard surface, there was no attempt at conversation. Rey and Naya simply became immersed in their cleaning, they didn't realize neither of them had spoken a word.

Naya finished cleaning the first object and set it aside, _one down three to go._ As she picked up the next one, she became aware of how quiet it was and wanted to change that. "How long were you here before my mom and I came here?" She wasn't exactly thinking in that moment, Naya only said the first thing that came to her mind.

However, she was able to sense that maybe that wasn't the best thing to ask. The whole subject of Rey, her family and the reason why she was here, was a subject Naya never touched. And the hesitation on Rey's face only made her feels worse. "Sorry, I'm not trying to open up something that is sensitive, that was just…the first thing that came to mind."

Rey remained quiet for a small duration, making Naya think that she had just ruined their breakthrough. She was afraid that Rey might diminish back into her recluse attitude, but the young only shook her head, "It's okay. I was here for a couple of days, it wasn't that long."

The instant relief that Naya felt eased away the tension that had built up in her shoulders. "I know that I might be stepping over the line, but do you know why you're here?" She was most definitely stepping over the line at this point.

"No."

 _What is wrong with you? Stop asking her about it,_ "I'm sorry," Naya quickly apologized, "That's all I'm going to ask about that matter." _Just go back to cleaning,_ she ordered herself, hoping that it would take away some of the awkwardness that had built up.

"Can I ask you something then?"

This came as a surprise to her. "Sure."

"Why did you and your mother come here?" Naya only thought that it was fair to let Rey ask her. She had just done the same to her. "This place isn't really special; I can tell you don't like being here."

Naya slowed the rate of her cleaning, maintaining her sight on the object in her hand, "Something happened back at home and—my mom just thought it would be best if we left. Why she took me to this place, I have no idea why."

"What happened that made you leave?" Rey glanced down at the necklace hanging around Naya's neck. Noticing the 'J' that was carved on it, "And your necklace, it has a J on it, I know your name doesn't start with a J."

A hand instinctively took hold of the necklace and Naya looked down at the charm, "No, it's mine. But, the initial is my brother's."

"Why do you have it?"

"When I was really young, my brother was leaving and he knew that I didn't want him to," Naya took off the necklace and handed it over to Rey, allowing her to look at the object, "So, to make sure that I wasn't too upset about him leaving, he made these two necklaces. He carved a J in one, which is mine and an N on the other. He told me that as long as we had these, we wouldn't lose each other."

Being able to talk about this made Naya feel conflicted. She felt sad and happy in a sense. This was the first time she was able to talk about her brother openly like this. She couldn't do this with her mother. "I was really young when he left, I believed almost anything he said. As I got older, I knew he was just trying to make me feel a little better. But, there is a small part of me that believes it. That it brings me closer to him."

"Jaiden," Rey fiddled with the necklace in her small hand, "I remember you saying it the day you got here."

"Yeah,"

"What happened?"

"There was," Naya was silently debating with herself. Should she just tell Rey everything? Was she prepared to even talk about it in its entirety? She wasn't even sure if describing it all was a good idea. The only thing she could think of to do was to simplify what had happened, "there was an accident," _It wasn't an accident, it was a slaughter,_ "and Jaiden didn't make it. There were a lot of people who didn't make it out; my brother…my friend," _Ben was responsible, he did it,_ "they're all gone."

"I'm sorry," Rey handed the necklace back over to Naya and folded her hands together on top of the table, "You came here because of that."

"It's a little more complicated than that, but I'd rather not get into it."

That was the one thing Rey had been waiting to hear from Naya, "I didn't mean to make you-"

"No, it's fine, Rey."

"What was he like?"

"My brother?" Naya completely abandoned the brush and mechanical part. Cleaning these findings didn't really seem that important in the moment. "Now that I think about it, there isn't a lot that I remember about him," She really didn't. Naya's memories of her brother are very vague, only a few of them that are clear, whole memories. This made Naya feel ashamed of herself, she barely had any memories of her brother, how is that possible?

"I do know that he was very smart, but he was always the one who got into trouble. That doesn't go with one another. But, he was. And he was really over protective. Always making sure that I wasn't getting into trouble. There were times when things could have gone horribly wrong, but he was there to make sure it didn't."

One of the things Naya remembered was how quick he was to act. Especially when Naya was very young, always trying to explore different areas. Jaiden would always be quick to catch her before she got too far. She would never have enough time to react or get away from him. That was a skill Naya wished she could out smart when it came to her brother. But, she never accomplished it.

"He watched out for me and I didn't really appreciate it when I was younger. But, now I do. I just wish I could tell him that."

Her throat began to constrict and her eyes began to sting. Tears were just beginning to brim and Naya immediately went back to cleaning, clearing her throat in the process. _Stop crying._ She told herself, she couldn't keep letting herself get too upset. Zara was right. Keeping a clear mind was helpful out here. While in the star destroyer, Naya wasn't being burdened by guilt or sadness, she had stored away any negative thoughts before venturing out to the graveyard. And it helped. She was focused on the task, Naya just needed to maintain that kind of control.

Even though she tried to hide the oncoming tears, Rey was able to notice it fairly well. Then, she felt that pang of guilt knotting in her stomach. She shouldn't have asked Naya those questions. Rey picked up her brush and continued with her cleaning when she said, "Your father is a pilot," Rey didn't the conversation to stop, yet she didn't want to dwell on the subject that was clearly upsetting Naya. She opted to switch the conversation around to something different, "Did he want you to become one?"

Naya went along with it, talking about her father didn't upset her as much, "I knew that he was happy, that I wanted to be like him," her lips curled at the edges into a small smile, "My mom was a different story. She knew that I wanted to fight for the Resistance, that didn't settle well with her. She always told me it would be dangerous, that I could get seriously hurt or worse,"

"Do you still want to be a pilot?"

"More than anything," she quietly admitted, the hope dripping from her tone was so little. But enough for anyone to pick up, "That's something I will never really let go of, but I know that I will have to,"

At this, Rey glanced over at her, brows furrowed, "Why?"

With a shrug of the shoulders, Naya glanced around them, "Look at where I am, everything that my family and I went through, I just don't see myself getting out of this place."

"You don't have hope," the statement held a hint of disappointment. Once that Naya was surprised to hear from Rey. Of course, in the time she had been verbally communicating with Naya, disappointment wasn't an emotion she experienced from her yet.

"There's no point in hoping for something that won't happen," she answered with a mere shrug.

"You don't know that. There might be a point where you will be able to leave, you just need to have hope."

"Are you hopeful?"

"I have to be. My family…they'll come back. I know they will."

Naya could feel something in her break. Rey had so much hope that her family would return. Conversations that Naya had with her mother makes her think differently. However, Naya had no idea as to why Rey was left here. For all she knew, her family would be returning soon. Anything really could happen. But, Naya couldn't shake this poking feeling that this wasn't the case. Like Naya, Rey might be stuck here for an indefinite amount of time. And that can stretch from months to _years._ Looking at the young girl next to her, Naya felt immense sympathy towards her. She can't even imagine what that must have been like for her. Being taken to a desert planet and left there. Crying and begging for her family to come back. The fact that Rey was in that position not too long ago sent a chill down Naya's spine.

"Hope isn't bad," Rey continued, "It's actually really good. It gives someone faith that things can get better. I think we both need that."

Naya nodded silently, lips pressed into a thin line. "I think we do."

* * *

Cleaning the parts proved to be more of a challenge than Naya had anticipated. Combined, Naya and Rey had scavenged seven parts, that didn't seem like much to them. However, through the cleaning process, that number started to feel more heavy. Several times, Naya would have to scratch off the grime coating the surface. This slow, tedious work stretched on for hours. By the time both Rey and Naya were finished, it was nearing night. Mila had decided to hold off trading the parts until the next day. Naya and Rey had been working all day, they deserved to just rest for the night.

Dinner was simple. As it always has been since they arrived on Jakku. The meager portions of food didn't really bother Naya. Something did nag at the back of her mind that this would be a matter that will require more care and attention down the road. She didn't know how fair the traders were in the market. From the snippets she has heard from Zara and Mila's conversations, Plutt was always the name that came up. She learned that he was the main tradesman and he wasn't too keen on giving out fair portions. Unless you were one of his favorites, even that titled was bestowed upon few scavengers. He was the main reason to why Mila always returned to the hut from the market frustrated. The impending introduction Naya will have with Plutt made her stomach lurch. It wasn't something she was looking forward too.

Her thoughts on Plutt and trading in their scavenged parts, sunk towards the back of her mind. She ate her dinner outside with Rey, both of them discussing minimal things as the sun disappeared, leaving the girls with only the star cluttered sky. The temperature dropped tremendously, but that was how Naya preferred it. If she could do away with the heat, she would. The cool air that accommodated with night was something she appreciated. And it all reminded her of the few occasions her and Ben would be out in the forest, at night. That wasn't something they were able to do far too often. It was a rarity and one they both cherished the most. Being able to sit near the creek and gaze up the stars, discussing what they wanted to be when they grew up, were memories that Naya had stored deep in the back of her mind.

They didn't get to stay out there for too long, sleep was something that they had to do. Naya and Rey couldn't complain about that. They felt exhausted after crawling through the ship and being suffocated by the thick, humid air. Mila didn't wake them up early. They were only going to venture into the market to trade their findings. She wasn't going to make Rey and Naya go back out to the graveyard for a few more days. Mila wanted Naya to get more progress with her defense skills and she wanted to try and teach Rey. Retrieving objects to trade will be Mila's task for just a little bit longer.

Rey and Naya woke up just a little after the sun had risen over the horizon. They were not in a hurry. It gave the girls plenty of time to eat a quick meal and to fully wake up. Once everything was in order, they piled all of their findings into the net on the speeder and made the trip out to the market. The entire time, Naya could feel her stomach turning into knots. She was so close to meeting Plutt.

 _What is it going to be like?_

Naya imagined that it's not going to be pleasant. She actually didn't want to meet him. However, she is going to be dealing with him, on her own, for who knows how long. At least she was going to have her mother there for the first meeting. This first meeting is giving her a chance to see how she will have to prepare herself to handle him in future trade sessions. The ride to the market was a lot shorter than the ride to the graveyard. When they finally made it to the main compound in the market, Mila made the speeder stop and the three of them slid off. Naya saw multiple people walking around, carrying around their hauls and people sitting at cleaning stations. Prepping the objects, they scavenged to turn them over for food portions. This was the first time Naya had actually been in the thick of the market. When she first arrived on Jakku, it was towards the outskirts of the market, they never ventured in. Mila and Naya only wanted to get to Zara's, they didn't waste any time walking around the market.

Now, Naya was able to see the people who were like her. They were all scavengers. Taking whatever they could in order to get food, in order to survive. They were her peers. Mila secured her bag on her shoulder and opted to carry Naya and Rey's bags. Motioning at the girls to follow, the three of them ventured into the main hub. People were entering and exiting, some of them were scowling at Naya and Rey. Possibly at the fact of how young they were. Naya made no discovery of anyone who looked around her age. They were all much older than her. If there were children close in her age, they never came to the market, unless absolutely necessary. Naya and Rey stuck out in the crowd like a sore thumb and all eyes were on them.

The three of them stood in line to Plutt's window. Naya took this time to see how Plutt treated the other scavengers. There wasn't anything special about it. Most of the scavengers were in the mindset of just trading the things, get the portions and get out. A guy, who had been a few people ahead, got four whole portions and the way that they interacted told Naya that he must have been one of Plutt's favorites. She tried to get a look at his face, but was unable to get even a glimpse. She didn't get to linger on that thought for long, it was their turn. Naya turned her attention on Plutt and she was able to get a good look at him.

He looked like a blobfish, that comes with being a member of the Crolute species. She had never personally met anyone from this species, but she had heard about them. And his face, it looked like he had never smiled before in his life. That particular thought ringed a little true when she heard him speak up. "What have you got for me today Arellano?"

His voice was deep and gruff, almost sounding like he had liquid stuck in his throat. Giving his voice a type of reverberate. Naya couldn't help but flinch when he spoke. There were no emotions to it. It was just a dead voice.

Mila hoisted up the bags and dumped out all of the contents, "Ten different parts."

Plutt took a moment to assess the pile of items on his table before looked down at Naya and Rey, "You and," he pointed at the girls, "Those two girls scavenged all of these?"

Looking down at them, Mila answered with a shrug and then raised an eyebrow, "Is there something wrong with that? When have you ever had a problem with who brought you things? As long as they brought something,"

Plutt waved his hand up, signaling for Mila that she didn't need to continue. "Let's see," he picked up one item after the other, giving himself only a few seconds to inspect each one. It was almost like he wasn't even evaluating them. He was just doing it for show. "For all of these parts, these are worth," lips pressed together and a few small nods, he continued, "One-half portion."

Naya's brows immediately furrowed in confusion and Mila's hand balled into a fist, "A half-portion, for each of us."

"That is what they are worth, collectively." Plutt gathered all of the items and placed them in a bin next to him. Then he slammed down the three portions on the table.

"That doesn't seem right," Naya couldn't help but speak up. That definitely wasn't right. "There are ten parts that we turned over to you, if anything, you could give half-portion for each part. Not for the whole bunch."

The junk boss remained silent, mentally sizing her up. He had been dealing with Mila ever since she arrived, this was his first time meeting Naya. His first impression of her wasn't turning out as a positive in his mind, "Why do you think so?"

Naya gave him a look, "It's only fair," she stated as a matter of fact.

"I am being fair."

"Then your view of fair is very different from mine." Naya quietly mumbled to herself. She could hear the people behind them talking amongst themselves, most likely about how foolish she was being for challenging Plutt.

"Naya," Mila turned to her daughter, silently conveying her to not challenge Plutt anymore. "It's fine," she turned back and grabbed their portions, "We take what we can get."

Naya allowed her mother to pass, but chose not to follow her in that moment. Instead, she turned back to look at Plutt, who seemed unfazed by Mila's frustration. The look on his face gave Naya a chill down her spine. Plutt didn't seem like the kind of man who she or anyone could reason with. If he was set on giving someone half portion for ten items, that's what he was going to do. Their eyes met in a silent stare down, waiting to see which would be the first to break. Naya took in a breath, finally settling on leaving the matter alone.

Naya turned and motioned for Rey to follow. It wouldn't do Naya any good if she tried to argue with him. He was someone she was going to deal with almost every day, trading new parts for food portions. She would rather stay on his "good" side.

Naya had been walking at a fast rate, making it difficult for Rey to keep up the pace. When she finally was next to Naya, she said, "He doesn't seem like a nice person."

Naya scoffed. "And he's the one we have to see in order to get food portions," she followed the statement with a shake of the head, "I think it would do us both good if we stay on his good side."

"He has a good side?"

At that statement, Naya chuckled and glanced down at Rey, who also seemed to take light of her statement as well. "He might have his own idea of what good is supposed to be."

When they reached the speeder, Mila was hooking the net back up and was mumbling to herself. Naya could only imagine she was venting out her frustration. "Only gives us half portion each," she huffed out a breath, "unbelievable."

Naya watched her mother, allowing her to have this moment before finally saying something, "Mother," Mila turned to them and brushed back the few strands of hair, "You're frustrated, aren't you?"

"Frustrated," Mila tested the word in her mouth and bit down on her lip, "Naya, whatever you do, don't ever get into an argument with Plutt. Especially when it comes to portions."

"He's the only one we can trade objects with?"

"The only one at this market you can get portions from," she tapped her fingers against the speeder, "You don't want to aggravate him. Please refrain from doing so."

"I'll try," Naya answered honestly, "It depends how much I get frustrated with him."

"Learn to control that," Mila was quick to tell her. "The last thing you want is for Plutt to have any kind of grudge against you."

Rey and Naya both nodded in compliance.

"As long as you two watch out for each other, you both will be fine."

* * *

 **This chapter was pretty short, I do apologize for that. I should have just combined chapter 3 and this chapter together, but alas, I didn't. This is kinda important but the next chapter there will be a pretty big time jump, so that's what we have to look forward too! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Mars Carter:** Omg Ava! Seriously you made me smile so much with your reviews! I am so thrilled that you love this story! And that you love Ben  & Naya as much as I do! That flashback is just the beginning for Ben & Naya, just wait until they see each other again. The feels might be too much! (jk jk) I love you so much Ava! Thank you for the reviews!

 **January Lily:** Naya hates the heat! She's just like me in that sense! I am really glad that you liked the little fighting lesson. That was actually kinda fun for me to write and I'm glad it taught you some things! Again thank you so much for the support! Love you!

 **Judy Laura L:** I am so happy that you are loving the relationship between Rey and Naya. I'm glad I was able to do a good job with writing it. As for Mila's history, I am not exactly sure when I will be putting in an explanation for that. It's not something that I ever planned on going in depth with. But, there will probably be a reference to it sometime down the road. Thank you for the reviews!


	6. Part I: V

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

* * *

 _As long as you two watch out for each other, you both will be fine._

 _..._

 _Six years later_

...

The sun was at its highest point, blaring down its harsh rays on the desert terrain. The ship graveyard was quiet, making it easy to hear the wind blowing through the hollow carcasses of the Imperial and Rebel ships. The temperature in these hollowed vessels was sticky and thick, making scavenging for parts miserable for anyone. But, it was a way of life. These war battered ships is the source of survival for everyone. Most have been coming to this site for years, they view these ships as just chunks of metal. But, there are some that still marvel at their scale.

 _There it is._ Naya pulled out the part she had been eyeing and quickly glanced over it to make sure it was still in good condition. Other than the dirt, it was fine. She quickly stowed it away in her bag. That particular piece and the others she found should earn her a good portion from Plutt. That is if he was feeling generous today. Plutt tended to fluctuate when it came to portion size. And that all depended on how much he liked you. This often made trading with him entirely unfair. Naya and Rey were always on the receiving end of his dissatisfying offers.

Checking her footing, Naya scaled down the wall with such ease, she still found herself amazed at it. Once on the ground, she took a minute to look around her, as she did every day when she came out here. She was one of those people who was still able to find wonder in this place. There was something about this star destroyer that never ceased to catch her amazement. This huge chunk of metal would always make her think about the battles that occurred and the people that once occupied almost every aspect of this ship.

Adjusting her headdress to keep it secure, Naya walked through the barely lit ship, towards the opening, which were the two huge engines. The same entryway she walked through the first time she came out here… _six years ago._ Naya still couldn't fathom how it had already been six years. Six years of coming out to this graveyard, picking through the decaying ships and bringing them back to get portions. Then wake up the next day to do it all over again. It was a fairly sad way of living, she always thought to herself. She always felt like she was on autopilot.

Stepping outside brought relief to her over heated body. The wind was at a nice speed, offering a good reprieve from having been inside the ship for an hour or so. She pulled down her headdress and pushed up her goggles, revealing a mature face with hints of dirt decorating her skin, but her eyes, which were a deep grey, still held a vital youth in them. Years of being out in the sun and climbing through downed ships can take its toll. Anyone would say that she looked older than she really was.

Swinging her bag around, Naya pulled out a canteen and greedily gulped down half of the contents before she had to stop herself. _Save it._ She thought to herself as she stowed the canteen back into her bag. Rey and Naya still had a lot more work to do once they reached back at the market. Glancing over, her sled was still in the same spot where she had left it, but she noticed something. Rey's was missing. Catching sight of a sled trail going down the hill, Naya huffed out a breath.

 _Dammit._ She positioned her sled near the edge and used her hands to push until she was riding down the hillside. This was a method that Rey had discovered a couple of months into their daily trips out here. Converse as much energy, use something to slide down the hill. They've been using this tactic ever since and Naya was always reminded how grateful she was to Rey for coming up with this idea.

When the sled came to a halt, Naya felt the faintest smile appear on her lips. It was always rather fun to slide down the hill after scavenging around for parts. Standing up, she pulled her sled over to the speeder, placed the sled, along with her bag, into the net. Placing a hand on her side, she turned back, spotting other downed ships a little bit away from her, knowing exactly where Rey was.

 _She did it again._ Naya climbed onto the speeder, pulled her googles down and pulled on her headdress, turned on the ignition and started toward Rey's location. It wasn't that far. Granted it shouldn't be, since Rey always walked to get there. This had been an issue for a while now. Rey was curious. Naya didn't want to make Rey feel like she couldn't explore or learn more. But, when she just takes off, without telling Naya, that can become an issue. When she arrived, Naya turned off the ignition and jumped off the speeder. There was a downed X-wing a couple of feet ahead from her and she could already see Rey messing around in the cockpit and her staff was leaning against the ship.

The goggles were pulled up and the cloth that was covering her mouth and nose was yanked down. "Rey!" Naya called out as she made her way over to the ship.

Rey, who was sitting inside, stopped what she was doing and turned to Naya with a big smile on her face. Naya, even though she was a little irritated, returned the smile.

"Rey, what are you doing?" Naya placed her hand on the hull of the ship and stared at Rey.

"I'm sitting inside an X-wing." Rey answered with the most obvious tone in her voice.

Her attempt to not make Naya irritated wasn't effective. Naya remained in position; hand on the hull and face frozen in a scolding look. "Rey, how many times have I said it?"

There it was. That tone. Rey's smile slowly diminished and she sulked back into the seat, "I know."

"You can't just walk off without me, wait until I'm done, then we can come over here together."

"It's not that far away from the destroyer," Rey was quick to point out for her defense. "And, I got done finding my parts early, so I thought that I would just come over here."

Naya hung her head back and gave a long, drawn out sigh.

"You knew where I was anyway, there's nothing wrong with me coming over here."

"Rey."

The young girl settled back in the seat, knowing that tone in Naya's voice. She knew it all too well. It was only used whenever Rey did something wrong, whether it was a major or minor thing, it didn't matter. Naya had told her several times, not to wonder off without her. This was the third time she's done it after Naya gave her a lecture about staying close. However, Naya couldn't really be mad at Rey. Irritated, yes. Mad, no. She glanced over at the young girl, seeing that she was mentally berating herself.

"Rey," Naya felt that she could let Rey off a little easy this time. The young girl looked over at Naya with her soft brown eyes, "It's okay. Just next time, tell me when you're going to head over here, okay? That way I can go with you."

Rey's features lit up and her smile returned, "Okay."

Naya shook her head and smiled, "Come on, let's go back to town."

Rey jumped out of the X-wing. Her hand grabbed hold of her staff that was leaned up against the ship and they quickly made their way over to the speeder. Naya pulled herself on and then helped Rey up. Both the girls pulled on their goggles and covered their mouths and noses. Rey then wrapped her arms around Naya's waist. Turning on the ignition, Naya started back towards the outpost.

Naya felt a familiar chill go down her spine as they sped past the star destroyer. Loose sand was stirring up due to the wind, creating a hazy cloud of dirt that washed over the graveyard. It made everything seem like it was farther away. Being out here always made her feel more isolated, she didn't even know that was possible. But, the silence that greeted her every time she arrives always manages to get under her skin.

When they finally arrived at town, Naya stopped the speeder near the cleaning stations, where she and Rey would be for the next hour or so. Naya had decided that it would just be easier to clean the parts here, instead of going back to their hut and then coming back here. Not a lot of back and forth and Naya liked that. Sliding down from the speeder, Rey and Naya removed their headdresses and goggles. Unhooking the net, all of their contents fell to the ground with a loud crash. Rey made sure to secure her staff's strap around her shoulder. They both hauled their findings over to their individual stations and quickly went to working cleaning them.

Cleaning can be a tedious and quite boring task, especially when you do it every single day. To help make the time go faster, Naya would keep watch on several of the other scavengers. Sometimes she would catch hints of other conversations. That is where she learned that nearly every scavenger called Plutt, the blobfish, behind his back. They weren't wrong, that's exactly what he looked like, so the nickname was befitting.

The overseers were making their rounds at the cleaning stations. Making sure that everyone was doing their work in a timely matter and not performing at a slow rate. Naya always kept up her performance during this time, she didn't want to get berated by them. They might be creatures with short statures, but these overseers could be fairly vicious, especially when they insult others. Naya just would rather stay off of their insult spectrum.

One of them grumbled some kind of statement behind Naya's back as he walked by. Probably a little agitated that he wouldn't be able to call her out. That only made her smirk slightly. She knew how everyone here worked. Six years' worth of observing everything around her, made her more aware.

Once the cleaning was done, Naya and Rey left their brushes in the dirty water, gathered up their things and went to go turn in their findings to Plutt. Naya made sure to divide the remaining uncleaned parts into their bags. She and Rey had developed a certain tactic they had been using for a few years. Scavenge as much as you can carry and only turn in half of it, save the other half to clean later. That way they could have one day in which they didn't have to travel out to the graveyard. They would have spare parts to clean and take it back to the market.

Halfway to the main hub, Rey stopped Naya, "I need to go trade these in with Baen," she said, holding up two parts that she had scavenged.

"Okay, here," Naya took Rey's bag and slipped it onto her shoulder, "I'll go and turn in our parts. You can go and do your little trade with Baen."

The two scavengers went their separate directions. Naya took her place in line, behind a good number of people. It was expected. She had stayed in line longer than she had wanted to a few times before. Naya spent the time watching the scavengers. Some of them acknowledged her. They were scavengers she had grown acquainted with or would run into out at the graveyard. Not exactly people she would consider 'friends'. However, Naya wasn't friendly with everyone. None of that was her fault. There were a few selective people, other traders, who looked down upon her and other scavengers. Being a scavenger was the lowest anyone can be out here and they were always taken advantage of and talked about. Naya simply ignored the staring and whispers that surrounded her whenever she was here.

She dumped out all of the contents onto the table when her turn was up. She was tired. Muscles were fatigued, aching and her face covered in sweat. A quick transaction was what she was hoping for.

"Where's the other one?" Plutt asked, beginning his assessment of the parts Naya had brought him.

"I don't think you need to worry about her." Naya answered.

Plutt simply hummed at Naya's answer. "I'll give you and the girl," he looked over the last piece that was in his hand, "a half portion, for both of you."

Naya's eyes down casted, her body fueling with a sudden frustration as Plutt slammed the portions onto the table. _He always does this._ Naya silently shook her head, took the portions and stalked out of the main hub. Plutt was always cutting down the portions when it came to her and Rey. Unfortunately, there was nothing Naya could really do about it. A half portion was better than none.

She mumbled to herself, when she was stopped by two Wookiees, asking where they would be able to find Bale, one of the small local traders. Naya was a little surprised at first. It had been a while since she had been in the company of a Wookiee. Catching herself, she quickly pointed them in the direction. The two Wookiees offered their thanks before continuing on. She couldn't help but smile. The brief encounter stirred up memories she had long since stored away. She remembered Chewbacca and the many times he accompanied Naya and Ben around. Always making sure they didn't get into trouble. Naya absolutely _adored_ Chewbacca. She missed him. She missed a lot of things. Although she was quite surprised with herself. The fact that her understanding of Shyriiwook was still intact. It had been quite a while, eleven years to be exact, since the last time she had any communication with Chewbacca. It was comforting though, knowing that she still had that knowledge in the back of her mind.

Naya continued her walk towards Baen's tent and she could see Rey and him getting into a little dispute. Stashing the portions into her bag, she jogged the rest of the way over. Baen had grabbed onto Rey's arm, sending a sudden adrenaline rush through Naya. But, she was able to reach him just in time, before he could do anything else.

"Baen," Naya gripped onto his wrist, her eyes meeting his, "let go," she quietly ordered.

He didn't look too happy. The fact that someone, a scavenger, was purposefully touching him like this. Plus, Baen and Naya never had a good relationship. Baen shook his hand free from Naya's grasp and looked at her like she had lost her mind.

"What's going?" Naya demanded.

"Baen isn't giving me the parts that he promised to give me," Rey shot an accusing glare in his direction.

Naya wasn't really surprised. Baen was known for being scheming when it came to trading parts. Rey had been dealing with Baen for the past year. She had been trying to build her own speeder and was scavenging certain parts to obtain the necessary bits that would help build her speeder. "Did she bring you the parts you agreed on?" Naya asked.

Baen offered a shrug, "I changed my mind."

"A deal is a deal, Baen." Naya reminded.

"I'm the trader, Naya. I can change the basis of any deals I make with others," he lowered his gaze down at Rey, "and if I choose to not forth with it, that's my choice."

Naya had no patience to deal with him. Having already been frustrated with Plutt, this was only fueling it even more. "Baen, it would do you well if you just honor the deal," she gestured at Rey, "just give Rey the parts you promised."

He scoffed. Baen wasn't taking Naya seriously, he never did, much to her frustration. "I think you and Rey should leave. It's what's best for both of you."

Naya remained frozen, hardened eyes locked down on Baen with a silent glare. _Don't test me,_ she thought to herself. Naya repeated herself again, telling Baen that he needed to give Rey the parts. That only seemed to aggravate Baen. He was known for having a short fuse. He reached out, grabbed Naya's shoulder to get her to leave. Something in Naya snapped. She brought her elbow up, hitting him in the face. Gripping his wrist with her other hand, she twisted his arm and kicked the back of his leg, sending him down to his knees. Naya kept her stance and tucked his arm against his back. Luckily, Baen wasn't that big of a person. He didn't dwarf Naya in size, he was only a few inches taller than her and a few years older.

Baen cursed under his breath, his chest heaving with hard breaths. "Okay."

Naya twisted his wrist a little more, small pops were audible from his shoulder and wrist, "Okay, what?"

The extra twisting made Baen jerk, anymore and she could easily sprain his wrist. "She can have the parts!"

"Good, and?"

Baen gazed back at Naya, confusion etched into his features, "And, what?"

"Never touch me again."

Baen gave a painful nod, agreeing to her terms so that she would let him go. She didn't let go right away. Naya took her time, studying his features for any hint of dishonesty. When she chose to believe him, her hold on him released. Baen, immediately, fell forward on his hands, trying to recover. Naya took a few steps back and watched Baen carry out the transaction, despite him constantly rubbing his wrist and shoulder.

Naya happened to noticed that groups of people that were eyeing her and talking in hushed tones. This rarely happened with her. There were only a few occasions where she got into a brawls with others. She never initiated the fights. They would always come after her. This case might be a little different, but she didn't care. This only reassures the others that she isn't one worth bothering. One thing that Naya was grateful for, the training her mother gave her in self-defense.

Rey held the parts close to her and walked over to Naya, who handed her bag over. After stashing the parts safely inside, the two turned and walked back to the speeder. Several people were rushing to get out of their way.

"You didn't have to do that." Rey offered as they made their way over to the speeder.

"Yeah, well, I think it was about time someone tried to put him in his place."

"You two never got along in the first place," Rey offered quietly, "doing that didn't make things any better. What if he tries to come after you?"

Naya instinctively placed her hand on Rey's shoulder, neither of them missing a step, "Don't worry about me Rey. I'll handle myself if he decides to come after me."

Stowing their belongings in the net, they both climbed onto the speeder, put on their goggles and headdress. Naya kicked on the ignition and took the familiar route back to their hut. The adrenaline that Naya had experienced from her encounter with Plutt and Baen was still pumping through her veins. The speeder slowed down as they approached Zara's hut, before finally coming to a complete stop. Turning off the ignition, the scavengers jumped off, gathered their bags and each retreated into their respective huts. They would meet up soon for dinner.

Entering the hut, Naya lifted up her goggles and pulled down her headdress. She eased her hands out of her gloves.

"How was the trip?"

Naya's eyes scanned over the figure of her mother, who was getting ready to head out. "It was fine." the response was simple. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going out to help someone with fixing a speeder," Mila pulled on her headdress and picked up her goggles.

"Really?" Naya questioned, she tossed her gloves onto her cot. "You've been going out to fix this speeder for a while. You're always going out."

Mila's worn down eyes landed on her daughter. It was never physically noticeable. But, Mila felt a wave of various emotions wash over her, just by looking at Naya. She still couldn't fathom it, how _fast_ Naya had grown. She was no longer that young girl who despised this planet. Granted she still didn't like being here. But, Naya was something else. She was a survivalist—a fighter, who adapted to the life style of Jakku at a fast rate. Mila was proud, but also incredibly sad. The thought never crossed her mind that Naya would have to turn into this. Someone who scavenged decaying ships in order to survive. Someone who had to learn how to defend herself at such a young age. Mila never wanted this for her. Sadness and guilt is all she feels when Mila looks at Naya.

"You know how I am," Mila answered, giving a faint smile, "I like working, I don't like just staying cooped up in this hut all day."

Naya remained unfazed; grey eyes fixed in a blank stare, "Or maybe it's just because you can't be around me."

Mila blinked at Naya's statement, not making any effort to correct. Somewhere, in the recesses of her mind, it was true.

"It's because I remind you of—"

"No," Mila quickly interrupted, shaking her head. "Please, don't say it." Gathering her things, Mila was trying to make a hasty exit.

"Right," Naya shook her head and slammed her bag down on the table, "Can't talk about him. I get it. Go and fix the damn speeder, again." She plopped down on the work bench. There was already a bowl of water sitting on the table with a brush. She had placed it there before leaving this morning, and began to clean the spare parts.

She could hear shuffling around behind her. But, she paid no mind to it. Mila walked by Naya and stopped, turning to look at her. "Make sure you eat something."

A small nod was the response she received.

Mila wished that it could be different. She wished that the relationship with her daughter wasn't so strained. If she could go back and do it differently, she would. Stepping forward, Mila placed her hand on the back of Naya's head and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I love you, Naya. I hope you know that."

Naya couldn't conjure up any words for her mother. Deep down, she wanted to say it. She wanted to say, _I love you, too._ She so badly wanted to say it. But, she just couldn't. Naya was grown an unfamiliar bitterness when it came to her mother. Little by little, over the six years, distancing herself created unwanted tension between them. Their relationship wasn't completely severed, but it definitely paled in comparison to what it was before.

There was no response from Naya. Not a nod or any kind of verbal acknowledgement. She only continued on with her cleaning. That tore Mila up inside and took this as her cue to leave, which she did, in a quick manner. When her mother was finally gone, Naya ceased her cleaning and slammed her brush down on the table. Abandoning the job all together, she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against her chair. She sat there, staring at the bowl of water, hearing the speeder turn on and the noise dissipated quickly into the distance.

Naya didn't move an inch, she remained frozen, still staring idly at the bowl of water in front of her. Finally, her hand slowly reached up and took hold of the charm around her next. She glanced down, seeing the J etching and then she turned it over, revealing an R. Naya had put it there a few years ago, actually, she allowed Rey to do the honors. Rey had been fascinated with the necklace ever since Naya first showed it to her. She admired what it stood for. A testament to a sibling bond. Naya only thought it was appropriate if the R was placed there as well. Rey had grown to become like a sister to Naya. And being the youngest, Naya had always wanted a little sibling.

There was a sense of calm that settled in. She was no longer tense and she no longer felt that bitterness. Due to this, Naya immediately regretted the way she confronted her mother. After dealing with Plutt and Baen, her frustration had yet to diminish all together. She was just venting out the last few sparks she had on her mother, which wasn't fair. _I'll apologize to her when she gets back._

Leaning forward, Naya decided to get back to work on the cleaning. There were apart three parts that she needed to clean for the next trade in. Six years of cleaning can help someone narrow down their skill in that area. Naya was one of them. Successfully brushing and scraping the grime off, has become an easy task for, not only Naya, but for Rey as well. They were effective when it came to cleaning.

The last bit of grime on the final piece was finally brushed away. Dropping the brush in the murky water, Naya leaned back and surveyed her work. All of the parts were well cleaned, at least clean enough for Plutt to take in. Gazing out the entrance, the sun was just starting to set. The sand almost took on a pink tint during this time and Naya rather enjoyed that sight. However, it was time for dinner. She pulled out the two half portions from her bag and frowned. Just looking at them made her think of Plutt.

Grumbling at her returning frustration, Naya made the meals for her and Rey. One thing she liked about these portions, it was so easy to prepare them. And it didn't take an ample amount of time either. Sorting out the food onto two plates, Naya grabbed two canteens, the plates and walked outside of the hut. She took a seat right in front of the entrance.

"Your mom left again."

Naya glanced back and saw Rey standing behind her, with the X-wing helmet on her head. There was an instant smile that lit up Naya's face. Every time she saw Rey wearing that helmet, she couldn't help but smile.

"As usual," Naya handed one of the plates over to Rey, who quickly took her seat next to Naya. She couldn't help but cringe at herself when she said that. The way she said it made her stomach drop. All that bitterness she had wasn't necessary. Then why did she have it?

"Where does she go all of the time?" Rey inquired and took a bite out of the bread.

Naya shrugged, "I have no idea. She never tells me." Picking at the veg-meat, Naya huffed out a breath, "it doesn't matter, she can do what she wants."

Rey scanned over the food that was on her plate, while chewing vigorously, she asked, "Plutt gave you half portions again?"

A change in subject, that was nice. However, since it was about Plutt, it actually wasn't that nice. Naya glanced down at her plate and raised a brow, "Surprised?"

Rey let out a scoff, "Not really," she paused in thought, mouth still full with food, "I am, still a little surprised. Six years we've had to deal with that."

"There's nothing we can do about it Rey. Half portions are better than no portions."

The younger scavenger hummed in agreement. "I saw you talking with those two Wookiees, what did they want?"

"Nothing, really. They just wanted to know where Bale was." Naya then suddenly paused and stared up at the horizon. Being reminded of the Wookiees, sparked up a memory. When she first met Chewbacca and it was also the first time she met Ben.

….

 _Naya picked off a leaf from the branch and studied it, curiously. She was sitting higher up in the tree this time. Sitting comfortably on a thick branch, with her one leg swinging back and forth, Naya heard voices. They sounded distant at first. After going silent for a few minutes, they appeared again, this time, much closer to her location. Dropping the leaf, Naya carefully scaled down the branches to see who it was she heard. After checking her footing, she stood on the final branch, that suspended her a few feet off the ground._

 _That's when she saw them. A young boy sitting on the huge rock near the creek's rock bead and there was a Wookie with him. Tilting her head, she watched the interaction between them carefully. The boy looked upset. She had seen him before. Glancing at him a moment longer, the recognition finally rang through. It was Ben Solo. General Organa and Han Solo's son. That means the Wookie was Chewbacca. She had heard quite a few things about Ben, mostly from other kids. There were some things others have said about him. Some promoting that he was too much of a loner, not wanting to be with others. Naya always dismissed those allegations. While she did view him as a solitary figure, she had seen him interact with very few people, not including his parents. But, other kids his age. Naya had only been someone who saw him from afar, she never got the chance to actually converse with him. However, this moment seemed like the perfect chance._

" _What are you doing?"_

 _Naya's voice startled both Ben and Chewbacca. Their eyes were on her, instantaneously. Ben seemed to be more surprised by it than his friend. Not expecting to encounter anyone else, he shifted in his position, moving his gaze off of Naya several times._

" _I'm sitting." His answer was so mundane; he could hear Naya give a small scoff. This made him look back over to her, furrowing his brows in the process. "What are you doing?"_

" _I'm sitting," Naya repeated his answer with a small smile and then tilted her head, "in a tree." Naya's answer only made Ben look away again, not saying anything. She'd expected maybe a laugh or a smile, but nothing. This made her face go blank, quickly._

 _Chewbacca walked over towards the tree and reached his arms up at Naya, the noises he made wasn't something she could decipher. Due to this, Naya just simply stared at the Wookie._

" _He wants to help you down." Ben said, upon seeing the confused look on Naya's face._

 _Smiling, she reached her arms out to him as he helped her out of the tree. "I could've climbed down myself." Naya received a few low howls from Chewbacca, in what sounded like his objection to Naya's statement._

" _He didn't want you to hurt yourself getting down." Ben translated for her._

" _Oh," Naya smiled up at the Wookie. "Thank you, Chewie."_

 _This was so strange for her. She had seen the Wookie several times, either with Ben or with his father, Han. Of course, everyone knew who the two smugglers were. Their names were always passed around in conversation. Naya's father was more acquainted with the General, not necessarily Han Solo. There was no reason for Naya to interact with them, for any reason._

 _The Wookiee strode away from the two kids, walking along the bank shores. Leaving them in silence, Naya could feel a wave of awkwardness wash over them. What exactly was she supposed to say now? Lacing her hands together, Naya took a chance._

" _You can understand him?"_

 _Ben's gaze was still fixed on the creek in front of him, but it was visible that he was considering her question. "I know enough to communicate with Chewie."_

 _Naya nodded and pressed her lips together, "Can you teach me?"_

 _The question surprised him. He glanced over at her, brows furrowed and answered the first thing that came to his mind. "No."_

" _Why not?" Naya challenged._

" _Why do you need to learn?"_

" _Maybe because I want to."_

 _Ben turned back to face forward. He had come out here to be alone, aside from being with Chewbacca, he wasn't expecting to meet anyone. A part of him wanted her to go away, to leave him alone. Yet, that other half was pressing him to interact with her. To get to know her. His own stubbornness was getting the better of him._

" _You don't need to learn."_

 _Naya's mouth cinched to the side. She could understand now why people would call him solitary. And it also explains why he's only with those few people. They were probably the only people he trusts the most outside of his family unit. But, all Naya could think about was the talk that surrounded Ben Solo, creating this aura of mystery around him. When really, looking at him now, Naya only saw him as just a boy, nothing more. People just like to talk. And she wanted to get to the center of who he was._

" _What's your name?" She asked._

 _The first thing she received was a quiet scoff, but it didn't sway her from the question. He probably thought it rather odd that she was asking him this question. "You already know it." Ben stated._

 _Naya shrugged at his response, "I might," she took a few steps over to him, her hand tapping at the rock he was sitting on, "but, I want_ you _to tell me your name." Not just his name, she wanted to know who Ben Solo was, the real person behind all the gossip._

 _This was different. The friends that Ben had surrounded himself with were people he has known since he was born. Naya was just some random girl who happened to be in the same place as him. There was something about her words that made his thoughts shift. He was used to being talked about, stared at and have the weight of expectations. Everyone always seemed to want something from him. Something that was out of his reach. Now, this encounter was different. She was approaching him with no hidden intentions that would make him reject her. Her words were thoughtful and when he turned to look at her, he could see the genuine weight to her words. This was definitely different._

 _However, he still felt it rather odd. Telling her his name, when she knew perfectly well who he was. But, the expectant look on her face told him that she was waiting. She wanted him to do this. Huffing out a breath, Ben felt his shoulders and body ease, then said, "I'm Ben."_

 _Naya's face lit up with a triumphant smile, one that was too infectious, even Ben couldn't spare the way his lips curled at the edges. "Nice to meet you, Ben."_

 _He had expected for her to walk off right then and there. To just leave him there. Instead, Naya gestured for him to scoot over, in order to make room so that she could sit on the rock. Climbing up and settling next to him, Ben couldn't help but stare at Naya, perplexed by this. She hardly knew who he was and just because they talked briefly, she's all of a sudden comfortable around him? This only confirmed his earlier statement, she was different._

 _She knew that he had to be confused with her. It probably made no sense to him that she would be doing this, however, it made sense to her. Naya had always been curious about Ben and now she has the chance to pierce the veil that had been presented to her. Look past the 'myth' of this young boy and learn about simple things; his interests, likes and dislikes. Naya didn't care how this might make her look._

 _She caught Ben still staring at her, the confusion had been replaced with surprise. He didn't look agitated or upset, it was quite the opposite. Calmness. Naya was able to get a better look at his eyes, noting how dark they were, almost black in color. If she had to match it to something, they took on the same color as his hair. But, they looked soft and gentle and there was so much light in them._

" _I'm Naya."_

 _Ben smiled. It couldn't compare to the one Naya gave when he offered his name, but it was still something. "Nice to meet you, Naya."_

" _Are you gonna teach me?" She asked again after a brief moment of silence._

 _This time, Ben didn't scoff or ignore her question. He simply smiled and said, "I'll teach you."_

… _._

" _Naya."_

Rey gently shook Naya by the shoulder, startling her out of the daze she was having. "Are you okay?"

Naya nodded. "Yeah."

"Really?" Rey momentarily picked at the food on her plate, "You were just staring off into nothing."

"I was just remembering something." Naya didn't go into detail. The subject of Ben wasn't one that she explained fully to Rey. For one, it brought up too many things for Naya and two, Naya just didn't feel the need to inform Rey the entirety of the subject. It was best if she just left the subject slightly untouched.

"Did seeing those Wookiees spark the memory?"

The question made Naya smirk. "What makes you say that?"

"You told me about how you knew Chewbacca," she discarded the X-wing helmet and placed it down in the sand next to her, "you always said that you were pretty close with him."

"Makes sense." Naya gave Rey the benefit of being able to guess right. It didn't bother her. She didn't mind talking about Chewie or even Han for that matter. "I was just thinking about the first time I met him."

"You miss him."

Of course she missed him, she missed everything from that period in her life. "There's so much that I miss, Rey."

The younger scavenger nodded solemnly. Faint, unclear images from her early childhood seeped into her mind. She was never able to truly decipher what they were. Rey chose to just enjoy the fact that she even had them. "We both do."

Her family was the one thing Rey missed dearly. Six years, there still hasn't been a single instance that would hint at Rey of their return. She was still here, on Jakku. "Do you think they are really coming back for me?"

Instantly, Naya knew who Rey was talking about. Her family. The people she had been waiting for to come back for her. Six years she's been waiting for them. "What do you believe?"

After thinking for a moment, Rey finally answered with newfound determination, "They're coming back for me."

"Then they're coming back." Did Naya actually believe that statement? She had her doubts. Naya wasn't fully against the idea, Rey's family could very well come back for her. But, as each year passed, Naya become more and more skeptical. Of course, she never had the heart to actually tell that to Rey. Hope was what she was clinging onto. Naya wasn't going to take that away from her.

"Honestly, it doesn't matter what I believe Rey," Naya continued, "if you believe that your family is coming back, then they're coming back."

Was this fair? Constantly reassuring Rey that keeping up this level was hope was right for her? Rey had stated to Naya that hope wasn't bad; it was a good thing. It gave people faith that things would get better. Naya didn't follow Rey's example. Naya gave up the idea that she would get off of this planet. Every once in a while, Naya would catch herself just sulking, thinking about what could have been. While Rey, who is so full of hope, faces each day with determination. Maybe, Naya made a mistake by not taking Rey's words. But, Naya could always feel her stomach turn every time she did this. What happens if Rey's family never comes back? Rey would be absolutely heart broken. Add to the fact that everyone around her constantly was feeding her hope. It was going to make the fall even harder.

They ate the rest of their dinner in silence. Each soaking in the sporadic memories that were coming back to them. Naya didn't necessarily want to stir the embers when it came to Rey's family. Most of the time, she tried to avoid the subject or cut the conversation as brief as possible. Even then, these types of conversations were rare for them to have. Once they were finished, they placed the plates next to them. The sun was disappearing behind the horizon, giving them a full view of the stars, that were just starting to decorate the sky.

Taking a moment, Naya glanced over at the helmet next to Rey and smirked, "You really like that thing, don't you?"

"It's not just a thing," Rey retorted and picked up the helmet, "it's a pilot's helmet." She quickly offered it over to Naya, "It would look good on you."

"You think?" Naya took the helmet and situated it on her head. Then, she looked at Rey to receive her approval, which she did.

"A proper X-wing pilot."

Both snickered at the statement. Although, Naya did like the way it felt. When she was younger, Calum always allowed her to wear his helmet, even though she was too small for it to fit well. Now, she was old enough to where it fit just right.

"X-wing pilot," Naya repeated the words, seeing how it felt when she said it. And it felt good. It felt right, "wouldn't that be nice." Pausing, she leaned her head up and gazed at the stars. "To fly anywhere, whenever I want. Without even thinking twice. I would love to do that."

Rey had followed Naya's example; gazing up at the darkening sky. "Travel to different planets, see new things."

As her hand grazed over her necklace, Naya suddenly remembered something. "Rey," she pulled off the helmet and set it down, "I have something that I need to give to you."

Opening one of her belt compartments, Naya pulled out the necklace she had made and placed it into Rey's hand. "I made this for you."

Admiring the handicraft in her palm, Rey noticed the N that was carved into the face of it. She recognized the simple design. "You made this for me?"

"I thought since you already carved into mine, I thought I would make you one. You always seemed so interested in it."

"Of course I was," Rey tied the string around her neck, securing it in a small tight knot, "I really appreciated what it stood for."

She couldn't stop marveling at it. It was simple and the meaning behind it was well known to her. But, Rey still couldn't help but poke at a small detail Naya had told her early on. "You're not planning on leaving are you?"

Naya merely laughed, knowing exactly what Rey was talking about. The entire meaning behind this was that Jaiden had to leave for his training and this was supposed to keep them close. Rey was only teasing Naya. "Of course not. Where am I exactly going to go?"

* * *

 **Okay, I know what you're thinking. WHOAH A SIX YEAR TIME JUMP?! Yes, I know. But, this is what I've had planned since the very beginning. It may seem like a little shock, but I do hope you all trust me. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! And I will say, the last two lines of dialogue between Rey and Naya, I would keep that in mind :) Also I have a tumblr blog for this story and I'll be posting edits, gif sets and etc over there. If you wanna check it out it's, requiemnaya.**

 **Mars Carter:** Ava your reviews continue to make my smile and blush! Naya can be your child, I have no reason to object to that! NYLO! Nylo? Honestly, I don't know what their pairing name would be. I guess any would work! HA! Naya and Rey, I love my precious scavengers babes, they are everything to me! I hope the flashback between Ben and Naya made your feels go all over the place! Once again, thank you so much for your reviews! Love you!

 **Judy Laura L:** I'm so happy that you were excited to see this story updated! And I hope this "quick" update makes you happy as well! I hope that this chapter was satisfying for you! Thank you so much for the reviews! I really do appreciate them!


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